The 52-year-old Pablo E. Ramirez, an ex-convict who tried killing his girlfriend Natalie Ortiz and her daughters in September 2021, was sentenced. Convicted by a jury of three counts of attempted murder, Ramirez has been sentenced to 116 years to life in prison, a reflection of the extreme harm his actions delivered to the Ortiz family and the East County community, according to the San Diego County District Attorney's released statement.
Two years have passed since the harrowing night when Ramirez crept into his stepdaughters' bedroom, attempting to take their lives. Turning first to their mother, Ortiz, he shot her and left her bleeding and near death. One daughter, only 15 years old, was struck in the elbow, before being shot in the back and left a quadriplegic as she tried to escape.
The 11-year-old daughter, narrowly missing Ramirez's gunfire, managed to escape to a neighbor's home and call 911, alerting authorities.
Within a mere four minutes, law enforcement officers arrived on the scene, immediately administering critical life-saving measures to Ortiz and her elder daughter. Testifying the significance of their rapid response, a trauma surgeon involved in the case revealed that without such swift intervention, Ortiz would have died from multiple gunshot wounds.
District Attorney Summer Stephan said of Ramirez, "Today’s sentence provides a measure of justice and will hold this callous defendant accountable for his malicious acts”.
