A man claimed his girlfriend, who believed they could see God, fatally stabbed his aunt and then herself because she believed the couple needed to repent during a two-week, meth-fueled romance.
Gabriel Antonio Ramirez took the stand Tuesday, Aug. 25, in his capital murder trial, claiming he was innocent and blaming his 24-year-old girlfriend Kathia Rosales, for killing herself and his 79-year-old aunt Irma Ramirez on Christmas Day 2022. He is facing one count each of capital murder and murder.
Gabriel Ramirez testified that he and Rosales started dating about two weeks before the murders. He claimed that he and Rosales would do methamphetamine in his room. He also testified that he and Rosales had a telepathic relationship where they could read
each other's minds.
As the relationship progressed, Gabriel Ramirez claimed Rosales would bring up repenting for their sins. She claimed that to repent, they needed to kill his aunt and themselves, Gabriel Ramirez testified.
Gabriel Ramirez said he was in his room at the aunt's house when Rosales left. He heard his aunt scream. Rosales came back into the room with a knife, he testified. He said he feared she was going to attack him.
Rosales allegedly gave Gabriel Ramirez the knife and told him it was his "turn to take her out," he testified. She showed him where to stab her, but he claimed he was not able to stab her. He testified she grabbed his hands holding the knife and pulled the knife toward her abdomen to stab her.
Prosecutors questioned how Gabriel Ramirez, who is about 250 pounds, was unable to stop her from using him to stab herself. He claimed he tried to pull away, but she grabbed his hands and stabbed herself again.
They heard sirens and Rosales told him they had to leave. Gabriel Ramirez saw his aunt dead on the living room floor as they left. When asked why he didn't help his aunt, he testified Rosales was rushing him out of the house. He said at this point Rosales only had one cut on her stomach. He did not know how Rosales ended up with multiple cuts on her stomach, chest and neck, he testified.
They then fled the house in a car. Rosales was bleeding in the backseat and her intestines were protruding out of her abdomen. She went quiet and he believed she died.
Gabriel Ramirez claimed he tried to kill himself because "I wanted to die with Kat."
Was marriage proposal reason for killings?
Prosecutors alleged in opening statements that Gabriel Ramirez killed his aunt and Rosales because he was angry Rosales turned down his marriage proposal.
Gabriel Ramirez denied the allegations, stating he wrote "Marry me?" on a picture Rosales had drawn of what appeared to be a flower. He claimed she said yes.
He added the couple did meth every day and believed he and Rosales could communicate telepathically. When asked if he was sure it was telepathic and not him being confused by the meth, he said yes.
Questions about whom aunt was talking about during 911 call
Prosecutors played a 911 call made by Irma Ramirez. They argued Irma Ramirez could be heard saying, "Gabriel, stop it."
Defense attorneys countered the audio actually said, "stop that" without saying a name. The audio is hard to tell what is being said as Irma Ramirez frantically asks for help.
Police find bodies in house, car
Irma Ramirez was fatally stabbed with a large kitchen knife at her house in the 3700 block of Truman Avenue in Central El Paso on Dec. 25, 2022.
Rosales' body was found the next day inside a car taken from Irma Ramirez's house. The body was found after El Paso Fire Department paramedics responded to a call about Gabriel Ramirez being found profusely bleeding from his neck and wrists outside a home in the 500 block of Gregory Avenue in West El Paso.
Gabriel Ramirez was taken to University Medical Center of El Paso, where he was treated before being booked into the El Paso County jail on Dec. 31, 2022.
If convicted on the capital murder charge, Gabriel Ramirez will automatically be sentenced to life in prison because the El Paso District Attorney's Office is not seeking the death penalty. A jury of eight women and four men has heard testimony for seven days. Closing arguments will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 26.
Judge Patricia C. Baca of the 346th District Court is presiding over the trial at the Enrique Moreno County Courthouse in Downtown El Paso.
Attorney Francisco F. Macias is representing Gabriel Ramirez. Assistant District Attorneys Josh Avila and Hassan Hassan are prosecuting the case for the El Paso District Attorney's Office.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Murder suspects claims girlfriend killed aunt, fatally stabbed herself
