Thank you for reading D.C. Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.
By
Mia Febles [former]
- March 28, 2024
Court
|
Daily Stories
|
Homicides
|
Shooting
|
On March 28, a homicide defendant’s ex-coworker testified about the suspect’s alleged gang involvement before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan.
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 Melendez. The incident occurred on May 28, 2015, on Interstate 295 North at Exit One, in Southwest DC. The incident left another individual suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.
The prosecution called on an ex-coworker of Ramos, who testified he is an ex-gang member.
Ramos is alleged to belong to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, but the prosecution was prohibited from mentioning his specific involvement by Judge Raffinan.
The prosecution mentioned the witness’ nervousness and apprehension to being in the courtroom, stating he was “shaking like a leaf,” with his head down and avoiding eye-contact. However, he was able to provide an in-court identification of Ramos.
The witness was employed as a dishwasher at Cadillac Ranch where he met Ramos, who was employed as a cook. The witness claimed he and Ramos would spend time together outside of work, “about a couple days a week.”
The witness recounted times when he and Ramos used to hang out, stating that on one occasion, the witness and Ramos spoke about the murder of Ramos’ father. The witness claimed that after Ramos’ father was killed, he moved to Boston.
Ramos is alleged to have left El Salvador with the intent to kill his father’s alleged killer, who he claims is Alvarado.
Ramos allegedly told the witness he was a part of a gang and offered the witness a chance to join him. At first, the witness claimed he refused, but after about a year, accepted Ramos’ invitation.
According to the witness, on another occasion, they were parked outside of an apartment complex in Alexandria, Virgina, when Ramos pointed out that was where he began to follow Alvarado leading up to the incident. “He[Ramos] said that was the place he started following the dude[Alvarado],” the witness stated.
He[Alvarado] was the one that did it,” he said, “he killed his[Ramos’] father,” the witness stated.
According to the witness, in an attempt to get closer to Alvarado, Ramos “created a girl page and started texting” Alvarado through Facebook.
According to the witness, Ramos “created a girl page and started texting the dude,” and was allegedly able to get Alvarado’s address by posing as a woman on a phony Facebook account.
The witness stated that when Ramos began following Alvarado, Ramos was in his friend’s car, with two other individuals. Ramos allegedly told the witness he and another individual shot into Alvarado’s car, killing him and injuring another passenger.
According to the witness, he knew the surviving victim, adding it was his father’s cousin.
In cross examination, Ramos’ defense attorneys, Rachel McCoy and Camille Wagner, questioned the witness about the benefits he’s received from the prosecution for his compliance to testify in court.
The witness claimed he received about $15,000, which helped pay for him and his family to move to a safer location. Also, the witness claimed the prosecution would help him obtain an S-visa.
According to U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, an S-visa can be obtained when an individual has assisted a law enforcement agency as a witness, allowing the law enforcement agency to submit an application for a Green Card on behalf of the witness.
McCoy questioned the witness about his involvement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a confidential informant.
McCoy argued that as an informant, you cannot engage in gang activity, which the witness allegedly continued to do.
According to the witness, he was kicked out of the confidential informant program because he was “engaging in illegal activities” and “dealing with weed and stuff.”
When McCoy asked the witness why he continued to engage in illegal activities, the witness stated he “did it for his own safety.”
Parties are slated to return on March 29 for a motions hearing regarding testimony for a representative from Meta.