Jorge Alberto Ramirez (Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office)
GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. - A man who described himself as a 'patriot' has been convicted by a Gwinnett County jury for the shooting death of 23-year-old Pedro Lopez-Belloso in April 2021.
Jorge Alberto Ramirez, 35, was found guilty on multiple charges, including three counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
He has been sentenced to life in prison plus five years.
"This was a cruel and violent way to die," District Attorney Patsy Austin-Gatson said. "We grieve with Mr. Lopez-Belloso’s family and loved ones. In prosecuting this death, we send the message that no one has the right to determine who deserves to die."
Ramirez told police that he was riding in the back seat of an SUV on Jimmy Carter Boulevard on April 14, 2021, when he became nervous because Lopez-Belloso, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, was armed. He claimed that he loaded an AR-15 rifle in the back seat because of a 'weird feeling' he had about the others in the vehicle. According to Ramirez, the rifle accidentally discharged, striking Lopez-Belloso in the back of the head.
However, evidence presented at trial contradicted Ramirez’s account. The prosecution argued that Ramirez intentionally shot Lopez-Belloso, citing a statement he made to the SUV’s driver: "I don’t give a damn … There ain’t gonna be emotion of jealousy, envy, hatred." In addition, when detained by Gwinnett County Police, Ramirez was recorded saying he shot Lopez-Belloso because the "immigrant want(s) to envy, hate, and be jealous on an American citizen of the United States of America." Ramirez added, "…Our oath is if you try our patriots, our patriots will respond with the almighty great accuracy, and definition of a solution … It’s simple, bro., I don’t give a damn about no murders, I don’t give a damn about no kidnappings. I don’t give a damn about nothing…"
Ramirez later changed his story, telling prosecutors in March 2022 that he had been asleep in the back of the SUV when the rifle, which was propped up beside him, fell and fired accidentally. However, an analysis by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations concluded that the weapon could not have misfired accidentally and would have required a human to pull the trigger.