More than four years after Johnny Ramirez was found shot in the back on a Linda Vista street, both men accused in his killing have been sentenced to state prison. Eduardo Vasquez, 28, was convicted of first-degree murder and ordered to serve 35 years to life, while co-defendant Arturo Diaz later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter after jurors could not reach a verdict in his case and received 19 years.
A Pre-Dawn Shooting in Linda Vista
Ramirez, 41, was killed on July 24, 2022, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Officers responded just after 5 a.m. to reports of a man found lying in the street. That initial account placed the location on Ulric Street near Comstock Street, while the newspaper’s more recent sentencing coverage places it on Ulric Street near Burroughs Street — a discrepancy that remains unresolved in the public record.
Ramirez died from a gunshot wound to his upper back, and he did not survive to reach a hospital.
Arrests Came More Than a Year Later
Nobody was taken into custody for more than a year after the shooting, according to the same account. Vasquez was the first to be arrested, taken into custody in October, according to FOX 5 San Diego, which reported that Diaz was arrested second. FOX 5’s report at the time described Diaz as 25 years old, while the Union-Tribune’s sentencing story lists him as 28 — another detail that could not be reconciled across the two accounts.
Prosecutors alleged that the killing was gang-motivated and that both Vasquez and Diaz were gang members, the Union-Tribune reported in its sentencing coverage. The station’s earlier report did not include detail on a gang motive.
A Retrial That Ended in a Plea
Diaz’s case did not resolve quickly. He went to trial on the homicide charge, but jurors could not reach a verdict, according to the Union-Tribune’s account. Diaz later pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 19 years in state prison, while Vasquez’s case concluded with a first-degree murder conviction and a sentence of 35 years to life.
Part of a Broader Pattern
Ramirez’s case is not the only recent San Diego homicide involving a homeless victim. A young man who pleaded guilty to his role in the killing of a homeless man at Bonita Cove Park was sentenced to seven years in state prison, per a report from NBC 7 San Diego.
