Witness Says He Was ‘Threatened by the FBI’ to Testify in a Murder Trial

By Payton Anderson , Rohan Naval - April 4, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On April 3, DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan heard from a key witness who said he was forced to testify “against my will” in a homicide case.

Oscar Ramos, 34, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault with intent to kill while armed, for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 50-year-old Pedro Alvarado on May 28, 2015, on Interstate 295 North at exit one, SW. The incident left another individual suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.

Prosecutors continued playing a recorded deposition from a witness currently detained in an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility. He claimed he was in a gang with Ramos and aware of his alleged involvement in Alvarado’s murder.

However, the deposition showed the witness declined to confirm his earlier grand jury testimony.

“I am here against my will because the prosecution wants to use me to win this case,” he claimed.  

He said his testimony was coerced and that he “was threatened by the FBI” which could initiate deportation proceedings against his family if he did not testify in front of the grand jury.

 “How much time in jail did you say you’d give me if I stand up here?” the witness asked.

The witness stated he “crossed over illegally,” after being deported back to El Salvador because his family was living in the US.

“They made sure I was detained so I would have to testify in front of a grand jury and then be deported,” the witness said. 

The disconnect between the witness grand jury testimony in 2019 and his deposition statements were highlighted by the prosecution.

In the deposition, the witness stated that he was “not going to answer [the prosecution’s] questions.” He replied “I don’t know” to successive questions. 

“I don’t know anything,” he said.

The witness was asked about the color of the vehicle that was used to commit the crime, as he was allegedly in the car on the night of the incident.  

Although the witness previously stated that the vehicle was a black Honda Civic, his deposition statement was, “Ask the owner, I don’t know what color it [the car] was,” the witness said. 

The witness is currently held in another jurisdiction without specific charges because he is a “cooperating witness.”

According to the witness, his only conviction is due to a driving under the influence charge. He is not currently facing any criminal charges. 

The witness later told the defense attorney that, “It is better [at an ICE holding facility] than it is in El Salvador.” 

The prosecution rested their case following the deposition. 

The defense introduced an eyewitness who was driving behind the suspect’s and the victim’s vehicles when the shooting took place. He testified who he thinks fired the fatal shots.

“If you had to ask me who was in the car, I would say three Black males,” the witness said. 

During cross examination, the prosecution presented the 911 call the witness made moments after he saw the shooting, revealing that it was the 911 operator who suggested there were three Black males in the vehicle before the witness had mentioned the race of the occupants;

Parties are slated to return on April 4 for closing statements.