The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that a man has been sentenced to 42 years in prison for fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend at her workplace in April 2023.
Gerardo Vazquez Alvarez, 30, fatally shot his ex-girlfriend Maria Ledesma Ramirez, 25, and injured another worker at a Burger King in south Phoenix after an argument about their relationship and children that occurred over the phone.
On the day of the incident, Phoenix police responded to a report of a shooting where they found Ramirez and his juvenile co-worker with gunshot wounds.
Ramirez was pronounced dead at the scene, while her co-worker was transported to a hospital and remained in stable condition.
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In testimony from the Prosecutor’s Office, witnesses said that Alvarez arrived at the restaurant, ordered food and waited for his ex-girlfriend to go to the front counter before shooting her.
“Not only did a young mother lose her life that night, but several young people were also put in harm’s way and will have to live with the trauma of what they saw and heard due to the defendant’s callous actions,” said Maricopa County Attorney Rachel. Mitchell in a statement. “By committing this crime, he altered many lives, but most of all, those of his own children.”
Alvarez pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder, one count of attempted second-degree murder and one count of disorderly conduct.
In the statement, the District Attorney’s Office said Ramirez’s parents told the court: “She was an exemplary mother…she was so protective of her children because they were her greatest treasure, but now she has left a huge void in us.”
This article originally appeared in the Arizona Republic: Man gets 42 years in prison for shooting ex-girlfriend
