Joffre Ramos
Real Name: Joffre Ramos
Nicknames: No known nicknames
Location: Canoga Park, California
Date: September 26, 1996
Case[]
Details: On September 21, 1996, twenty-year-old dedicated Marine Joffre Ramos was invited to a birthday party in Canoga Park, California, with several fellow Marines. They mixed well with the guests, which included some gang members. Suddenly, a fight broke out between two women. Others, including several of the gang members, joined in. Joffre and his friends decided to leave. As they reached their Jeep, Joffre realized that he had forgotten his wallet in the backyard. His friends inadvertently left him behind.
After finding his wallet, Joffre was confronted by several of the gang members. Their alleged ringleader was Luie Quezada. In gang culture, "destroying a Marine" is considered a badge of courage. So, Quezada and two gang members decided to attack Joffre. Realizing he was in trouble, he ran and tried to scale a wall to escape. However, he was quickly overpowered by the attackers. He was kicked and punched repeatedly, brutally assaulted.
At around the same time, Joffre's friends returned to look for him. Meanwhile, Quezada apparently believed that a car arriving at the house was filled with Marines; he opened fire at them. Fortunately, none were hit. Soon after, Joffre's friends found him bruised and bloody in the street. Police arrived within minutes and mistakenly arrested his friends.
Because of his severe injuries, police began investigating the case as a homicide. Joffre had severe injuries on his face and body. The right side of his brain had been smashed to the left side of his skull. He underwent emergency brain surgery and spent three weeks in a coma. Doctors did not believe that he would survive. Miraculously, he did, but lost some of his memory. Although he suffered some permanent brain damage, he has been able to recover after learning basic skills like walking and talking.
Joffre had hopes of making the military a career. However, due to his injuries, he had to accept an honorable discharge from the Marines. The two gang members involved in the attack were arrested. Now, Joffre and his family want Quezada to be arrested.
Luie Quezada
Suspects: Luie Quezada and the two gang members are believed to be responsible for the attack.
Extra Notes: This case first aired on the April 3, 1998 episode.
Some sources spell his first name "Joffrey".
Results: Solved. Quezada was captured in 2001 after Los Angeles police received a tip that he had fled to Mexico. He was brought back to the U.S. and convicted of attempted murder. He was sentenced to twenty-one years in prison.
Links:
- Luie Quezada on Unsolved Archive
- Main Suspect Sought in Beating of Marine - October 5, 1996
- Man Who Beat Marine into Coma is Sentenced - October 2, 2002