Bio

David Martinez Ramirez was born on April 7, 1957. He was part of a Hispanic family. He experienced an unstable family background. This often makes it hard for children to grow up feeling secure.

Ramirez had a difficult childhood that included poor educational experiences. He struggled in school and did not receive the support that many children need. As he grew older, he became involved in gangs. Being part of a gang can lead young people down a troublesome path.

As an adolescent, Ramirez also dealt with substance abuse. This means that he likely used drugs or alcohol to cope with his problems. Substance abuse can greatly impact a person's choices and behaviors. There are also reports that he was a victim of sexual abuse during his childhood. This could have affected him deeply, shaping his later actions in life.

Murder Story

During the early morning hours of May 25, 1989, David Martinez Ramirez committed two murders in an apartment in Phoenix, Arizona. His victims were Mary Gortarez and her 15-year-old daughter, Candie Gortarez. Ramirez stabbed Mary a total of 18 times in various parts of her body, including her neck, back, stomach, and left eye. He also stabbed Candie 15 times in the neck area. The attacks did not result in instant death for either victim.

Neighbors reported hearing a violent struggle coming from the apartment for about thirty minutes. When the police arrived, they found blood smeared and splattered throughout the apartment. In addition to the murders, Ramirez sexually assaulted Candie while she was severely injured. He was the only person left alive in the apartment when authorities entered, and he was taken into custody at the scene.

Following his arrest, Ramirez faced trial. The proceedings started on July 10, 1990, and the verdict was delivered on July 27, 1990. He was convicted of both murders and was sentenced to death on December 18, 1990. During the trial, the court considered several aggravating factors, including Ramirez's prior convictions for violence, the especially heinous nature of his crimes, and the fact that he committed multiple murders at the same time.

The court also examined mitigating factors in Ramirez's life, such as his unstable family background, poor education, and history of substance abuse. However, these mitigating circumstances were deemed insufficient to warrant leniency in his sentence. The Arizona Supreme Court upheld the convictions and death sentence in a direct appeal.