PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) — Jose Ramirez, the Princeville man charged with killing his adoptive parents, was found guilty Wednesday of two counts of murder.
Ramirez was accused of killing Bradley University professor Susan Brill De Ramirez and her husband, Antonio Ramirez Barron, at their Princeville home in 2018.
After two days of witness testimony and over 100 pieces of evidence, Judge Kathrine Gorman gave her ruling directly after closing statements.
“You struck her with a bat and stabbed her with a knife thereby causing her death without a reasonable doubt,” said Judge Gorman who repeated that statement about Barron.
During closing arguments Wednesday, prosecutors said Ramirez admitted to killing his parents, wanted them dead and accomplished that goal. They described the murders as cold blooded, premeditated, and that Ramirez had no remorse.
In a recorded police interview that was shown in court Friday, Ramirez told detectives, “I kind of just wanted them dead.”
In the interview, Ramirez described the attack, saying he pepper sprayed his parents, and stabbed them in the stomach and neck. He then said he cleaned the home to make it look like a robbery.
“They were brutal, the form of brutality that comes from an individual who hated his parents and in the defendants words wanted them dead, the defendant told us that he wanted them dead,” said Assistant State’s Attorney David Gast.
In response Defense Attorney Hugh Toner told the judge he felt there was no physical evidence linking Ramirez to the crimes. Toner also suggested Ramirez was covering up for accused accomplice Matthew Roberts, stating it is not an issue of if a crime occurred, but who did it.
“Of the 100 pieces of evidence, in rebuttal, I would invite whoever’s going to do the rebuttal, to point out a single shred of evidence that ties these murders… to Mr. Ramirez,” said Toner.
The state responded by referencing collected evidence that matched up with Ramirez’s confession.
“I don’t know how much more detailed corroboration one could possibly find or have done on the part of the police by corroborating almost every single detail of his statement,” said Assistant State’s Attorney Nancy Mermelstein.
Ramirez will be sentenced on January 17.
His accused accomplice Matthew Roberts, who is also charged in the murders, is due in court on November 25.
