Thread: Woman Murdered in East Charlotte by Illegal

Woman Murdered in East Charlotte

Police are investigating a murder, which happened in east Charlotte Monday night.

The murder was inside a unit at the Misty Woods Apartments at 5148 Willow Park Drive located off Central Avenue.

Gloria Cobos, 22, was found dead inside the apartment.

Police charged Jonathan Ramirez, 30, with her murder. He is in the Mecklenburg County Jail without bond.

Ramirez will make his first court appearance Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Story Created: Nov 27, 2006 at 11:31 PM EST

Story Updated: Nov 28, 2006 at 12:29 PM EST

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This was just reported on the news. He is an Illegal Alien


http://www.wbtv.com/news/topstories/4759791.html

http://www.wsoctv.com/news/10409637/detail.html

Investigators Believe East Charlotte Killing Was Domestic Related

POSTED: 11:11 pm EST November 27, 2006
UPDATED: 6:33 pm EST November 28, 2006

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte police have charged a man with murder in the death of his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child.

Neighbors called 911 around 6:30 p.m. Monday after they heard fighting inside an apartment at the Misty Woods complex on Willow Park Drive, which is off Central Avenue near North Sharon Amity Road.

When police arrived, they found 22-year-old Gloria Cobos dead.

Police then interviewed Jonathan Salas Ramirez, 30, who once lived with Cobos. Investigators said a language barrier posed a challenge in getting information, but Ramirez was later arrested and charged with murder in Cobos’ death.

Investigators don’t believe the couple was living together at the time of the slaying. Cobos had taken out a restraining order against Ramirez in October.

The protection order barred the suspect from having any contact with the victim unless it regarded their “minor child and to change the title of the car” to her name. Cobos also documented several incidents of abuse, saying, “In the past our son has witnessed his father hit me.”

Domestic Violence Sgt. Vicky Suarez says documentation of such incidents is vital.

“Make the police reports, document it on paper and so there's public copies of what's going on so that other people know and it's not kept a secret,” she said.

Suarez acknowledges a restraining order alone won’t keep domestic violence victims safe.

“The victim working with that restraining order, the police working, the community, employer -- everybody has to do their part to really help keep a victim safe,” she said.

But John Kozick, who lives near where Cobos was slain, wonders how effective restraining orders really are.

“It's a shame that the courts can't protect women better than they're doing,” he said. “I feel sorry for women that have that problem.”

Cobos’ death marks the 73rd slaying in Charlotte this year. Eyewitness News records show last year there were 77 killings by this date, and in 2004 there were 53.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/16119492.htm

VICTIM FOUND IN APARTMENT
Man charged with murder in woman's death
Mother of 14-month old had restraining order against ex-boyfriend
MELISSA MANWARE
mmanware@charlotteobserver.com

Police have arrested a man wanted for murder in the death of an east Charlotte woman who had a restraining order to protect her from him.

Jonathan Salas Ramirez, 30, was arrested late Monday. He is accused of killing 22-year-old Gloria Cobos, his former girlfriend and the mother of his 14-month-old son.

Cobos was found dead in her apartment on Willow Park Drive off Central Avenue at about 6:40 p.m. on Monday.

Salas Ramirez used to live with Cobos but moved out after he was arrested on domestic violence charges Oct. 17, said Heather Ziemba, director of the Immigrant Justice Project at Legal Services of Southern Piedmont.

Salas Ramirez was arrested for assault on a female, records show. After that, Ziemba said, Cobos got a restraining order to keep her former boyfriend away from her and the baby.

Ziemba said her staff had prepared a motion for contempt of court accusing Salas Ramirez of violating the restraining order by coming to Cobos' home and making threatening telephone calls. Cobos was supposed to sign the motion this week.

The Immigrant Justice Project also had been working with Cobos, who is from Mexico, to help her get proper documentation for living in the United States. She had been living in the country for at least three years, Ziemba said.

Salas Ramirez was in the Mecklenburg County jail on Tuesday without bond, charged with murder.

The Mecklenburg County Domestic Violence Advocacy Council will march on the square at Trade and Tryon streets Thursday beginning at 12:15 p.m. The group marches every Thursday following a domestic violence-related death in Mecklenburg County.

Cobos' killing was the sixth domestic violence-related homicide this year, according to the group. The number does not include suspected abusers who were killed.

Thanks for those updates.

Forgive me for asking what would appear to be an obvious question, but do we know if this individual was an illegal immigrant? I see his the murdered girl was, but there was no mention of the murderer (unless I missed it).

Originally Posted by MW

Forgive me for asking what would appear to be an obvious question, but do we know if this individual was an illegal immigrant? I see his the murdered girl was, but there was no mention of the murderer (unless I missed it).

Yes, he was an illegal alien !

I’m also upset regarding this murder. If the guy was an illegal alien, why didn’t the sheriff hold him at the jail ? He should be held and deported. To release him, gives him the chance to flee. I know of dozens of cases personally where illegal aliens have fled. It’s like giving a warning or ticket to a ghost. If the sheriff picks up an illegal alien for jay walking, he should be held & deported – no excuses.

If we had a secure border and our immigration laws were strictly enforce, Gloria would still be alive.


WSOCTV.com
Family Upset With Sheriff Over Murderhttp://www.wsoctv.com/news/10445511/detail.html
POSTED: 11:02 pm EST December 1, 2006

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Relatives of a murdered east Charlotte woman said Friday the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Department could have prevented it.

Jonathan Ramirez was charged with murdering his girlfriend, Gloria Cobos. He was first arrested for beating her on October 17. Eyewitness News learned deputies at the jail identified him as an illegal immigrant through a program set up to identify and deport illegal immigrants. Mecklenburg County Sheriff's spokeswoman Julia Rush said Ramirez was released on bond because he didn't have any prior arrests and had never before been deported. Rush also said the department followed federal guidelines, policies and procedures. She called the murder a tragic incident, but said the bigger issue is domestic violence and asked the community to help strengthen domestic violence laws.

Friday night, friends and family said their final goodbyes to Cobos. Her body was expected to be flown back to Mexico this weekend.

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