FORT WORTH -- A 29-year-old Fort Worth man will spend the rest of his life in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to the robbery and the fatal shooting of a Ben E. Keith deliveryman.
Prosecutors had intended to seek the death penalty against Jose "Joe" Ramos for the slaying of Ruben Martinez, 28. But in a plea agreement, Ramos pleaded guilty to capital murder in exchange for life without parole."Under the facts of this case and after consulting with the family, we felt like life without parole would be proper protection for our community," said Tarrant County District Attorney Joe Shannon. "He will be off the streets for the rest of his life."Ramos' accomplice, Mark Anthony Soliz, had been sentenced to death by a Johnson County jury in March for the robbery and shooting death of a 61-year-old Godley grandmother, Nancy Weatherly.Officials have said Martinez and Weatherly were both shot June 29, 2010, capping an eight-day crime spree by the two men that included several shootings, armed robberies, a drive-by shooting and burglaries.Martinez was robbed of $10 and shot in the neck while making an early morning beer delivery to the Buy & Save Food Store on Azle Avenue. He died from his injuries July 12, 2010, just as his wife was about to give birth to their second child.Weatherly, a Lockheed Martin employee, was found dead June 30 inside her rural home after Fort Worth police obtained statements from Ramos and Soliz.Defense attorney Wes Ball said his client was not the trigger man in either death but "nonetheless was responsible as an accomplice or party."He described his client as remorseful and said Ramos had been willing to testify against Soliz during the Johnson County trial."The possibility that Mr. Ramos could receive the death penalty in either jurisdiction certainly weighed in on the decision to agree to life without parole," Ball said. "There wasn't a whole lot of question in my mind that Mr. Soliz was going to get a death sentence in Johnson County."As part of the plea agreement with prosecutors, Ramos also pleaded guilty Tuesday before state District Judge Wayne Salvant to aggravated robbery, burglary of a habitation and deadly conduct related to other crimes during the spree. In exchange, he received the maximum of two life sentences and a 20-year sentence, all of which will run concurrently.Ball said Ramos was able to hug and speak with family members inside the courtroom."His little boy was there and said, 'I love you Daddy,'" Ball said. "It's a sad situation all the way around."A capital murder charge is still pending against Ramos in Johnson County in Weatherly's death.Ramos is scheduled to appear before a Johnson County judge in that case Friday, where he is expected to also plead guilty in exchange for a life without parole sentence.Because the two men had crossed county lines during their crime spree, Tarrant and Johnson County prosecutors have worked together in their prosecutions.Deanna Boyd, 817-390-7655Twitter: @deannaboydHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
