Man sentenced to 42 years to life in gang-related murder case
Angel Ramosramirez.
– San Luis Obispo County District Attorney Dan Dow announced April 28 that Angel Ramosramirez, born Jan. 26, 1995, was sentenced to 42 years to life in state prison for a 2022 gang-related murder and a 2021 knife assault.
The sentencing took place April 28 in Department 8 of the San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, with Judge Jesse Marino presiding. A jury convicted Ramosramirez of murder in September 2025, and the court found him guilty in a separate trial for the assault in January 2026. The court imposed the maximum sentence.
On Sept. 9, a San Luis Obispo County jury found Ramosramirez, 31, guilty of second-degree murder in the death of Daniel Diaz, 20, of Oceano. The jury found that Ramosramirez committed the murder for the benefit of the West Park criminal street gang and used a knife in the killing. Authorities said the gang operates primarily in Santa Maria.
During a 29-day trial, jurors heard evidence that Diaz was stabbed 10 times during the early morning hours of June 4 on a street in Oceano.
After the jury verdict, Judge Marino found that Ramosramirez had a 2016 conviction in Santa Barbara County for making criminal threats for the benefit of the same gang. The conviction qualifies as a strike under California’s Three Strikes law.
On Jan. 29, Judge Marino found Ramosramirez guilty of assault with a deadly weapon in a separate case. The court found that Ramosramirez used a knife and inflicted great bodily injury on a 19-year-old victim.
Prosecutors charged both the murder and the assault in the same complaint, but the court ordered separate trials to protect the defendant’s due process rights. The murder charge was tried first.
In the assault case, Ramosramirez waived his right to a jury, and Judge Marino heard the evidence. The court found that Ramosramirez stabbed a teenager in the chest at a party in Nipomo on Sept. 4, nine months before the murder of Diaz. The court also found that Ramosramirez personally inflicted great bodily injury on the victim.
“Violent gang predators like Ramosramirez who prey on people of our community belong behind bars for life—today’s maximum sentence of 42 years to life delivers the swift justice our community demands,” Dow said. “Victims of violent crime deserve our unwavering protection and a justice system that honors their rights above all. Our office stands with them, partnering with law enforcement to ensure predators face the full consequences.”
Under California sentencing law, Ramosramirez must serve 11 years in state prison before beginning a term of 31 years to life. Officials said they cannot predict when he may become eligible for parole.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case with assistance from the Santa Maria Police Department, the San Luis Obispo Police Department, the California Highway Patrol, the San Luis Obispo County Probation Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The district attorney’s office prosecuted the case.
