Immigration issues are being raised in the case of a man – in the country illegally – now accused of murder and scheduled to appear today, (July 13th), in a Santa Maria courtroom.
29 year-old Victor Ramirez was living in the U.S. illegally.
Ramirez (pictured left) and 20 year-old Jose Villagomez are accused of breaking into the home of Marilyn Pharis on July 24, and beating the 64-year-old woman with a hammer.
Pharis (pictured), an Air Force veteran, eventually died.
Now, Ramirez and Villagomez – a citizen – are in custody on the charge of murder.
Just days days before the attack, Ramirez was booked on drugs and weapons charges, but was back on the streets when the crime took place.
It’s igniting a debate over the proposition 47 rule to reduce the penalty for some offenses.
Joyce Dudley, the district attorney in the case, says she is focusing on prosecuting those responsible, and not on the immigration debate.
She vows to seek full justice from the brutal crime.
