San Diego County Felon Convicted Of Second-Degree Murder In Cathedral City Attack

RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA — A felon who joined his friend in a fatal attack on a Cathedral City man was convicted Tuesday of second-degree murder.

A Riverside jury deliberated roughly a day before finding Johnny Ramirez, 34, of Escondido guilty Tuesday in the deadly assault on 24-year-old Ricardo Gallardo in 2020. Jurors were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on a sentence-enhancing weapon allegation, and Riverside County Superior Court Judge Matthew Perantoni declared them deadlocked on that count, which will likely be dismissed.

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The judge did not immediately schedule a sentencing hearing at the Riverside Hall of Justice. Ramirez is being held without bail at the nearby Robert Presley Jail.

His co-defendant, 33-year-old Edgar Navez of Desert Hot Springs, is charged with first-degree murder and a sentence-enhancing allegation of using a deadly weapon in the commission of a felony. Navez allegedly fled before a warrant could be served on him and has been at large since that time, whereabouts unknown.

According to a trial brief filed by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, Navez and Ramirez were driving around Cathedral City on the evening of Nov. 23, 2020, and Ramirez parked his car near the intersection of Aliso Road and Avenida Del Yerma, where he and Navez got out and walked around.

Moments later, Gallardo passed by them, triggering a shouting match, mainly between him and Navez, the brief said. It was unclear what prompted the hostility, though investigators later confirmed the defendants had some type of gang affiliation.

Navez allegedly pulled a knife, leading the victim to run away, with the defendant close on his heels and Ramirez trailing both of them by a second or two, according to the prosecution.

Navez quickly caught Gallardo, knocking him to the ground, at which point he started stabbing him, the brief alleged. A low-quality security surveillance video from a nearby business captured part of the ensuing attack. The tape indicated that Ramirez "also stabbed the victim, or punched him," the narrative stated.

Gallardo suffered a total 11 puncture wounds to his head, chest and stomach, according to the brief.

When Navez and Ramirez fled the scene, the victim was able to stumble toward Ramon Road and Avenida Del Yermo, attracting the attention of multiple people who called 911, according to the prosecution.

The young man was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he died that night.

Investigators said Ramirez dropped his mobile phone in front of a store while running from the scene, and a clerk spotted it on the sidewalk after passersby began gathering around the mortally wounded victim. The man pointed it out to patrol officers, who seized the device and turned it over to homicide detectives.

"The cell phone ... could not be downloaded until 2023, when technology improved," the brief said.

A search warrant was obtained to access the phone's contents, and detectives uncovered a video showing Ramirez driving his vehicle, with Navez in the passenger seat, eight minutes prior to the deadly attack. Other videos also showed Navez and Ramirez posing with handguns and flashing gang signs.

Ramirez was ultimately arrested without incident on Aug. 8, 2023, in Escondido. He was questioned by detectives, but only made one statement indicating that he was at the scene of the attack, telling an interrogator who asked why he didn't attempt to stop the assault that he didn't want to "get myself hurt," court papers said.

Navez is described as 5-feet-10 inches tall, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

Details on Ramirez's prior conviction, which did not occur in Riverside County, were unavailable.