King City Man Who Raped a Child During a Home Burglary Sentenced to Life Without Parole

SALINAS, California- Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine M. Pacioni announced on Tuesday, May 25 that the Honorable Rafael Vasquez sentenced Leonardo Ramirez Jr., age 28, to life without the possibility of parole after he was found guilty at a jury trial for violently raping a 10-year-old girl, during the commission of a residential burglary in which he had the intent to commit a sex offense. On February 3, 2018, around 7 am, the young who was 10 years of age woke up to a man in her bedroom pulling down her pajama pants. The man was wearing a mask over his entire face, gloves, a dark hoody, and was holding what looked like a black handgun. When the girl tried to scream for help, he covered her mouth and nose and told her to shut up as he pointed the gun at her head. She was scared for her life and complied. He then raped her and fled the scene. The girl told her family that morning and they called the police. The girl received numerous injuries from the assault and felt pain in certain parts of her body for multiple weeks. DNA evidence was taken from the girl’s body. Law enforcement developed a full DNA profile from that evidence. For over 2 years, police interviewed suspects and took DNA swabs to identify her rapist. On May 20, 2020, King City Police set up a meeting with Ramirez and obtained a sample of his DNA surreptitiously. The California Department of Justice determined that Ramirez’s DNA matched the DNA collected from the girl. Police arrested Ramirez the day after they received the DNA results. He initially denied he had ever been inside her home. When police confronted him with the DNA evidence, Ramirez then admitted that he assaulted the girl, but minimized his conduct and intent. On May 20, 2021, the girl who is now 13 years of age came to court and shared all the ways that this horrible crime had affected her life. Her mother and sister also gave statements about how much the crime had impacted their lives. Ramirez received a mandatory sentence of life without parole because of the various factual enhancements that the jury found true. The case was primarily investigated by Sergeants Joshue Partida, Leo Guzman, and John Dow of the King City Police Department as well as retired Detective Steven Kennedy of the King City Police Department.