Ramirez-Gonzalez
Civil attorneys with the Hidalgo County District Attorney’s Office have asked the Attorney General to shield a murder affidavit from public view because it contains information about an unidentified minor who witnessed the crime.
The attorneys claim the document should be withheld because it contains the location of the alleged criminal act — a location already made public by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.
The Monitor requested the affidavit for 30-year-old Edinburg resident Jesus Francisco Ramirez who investigators charged with murder for the alleged April 8 stabbing death of his neighbor, 49-year-old Elias Aguilar.
In its letter to the AG, the civil attorneys cite Texas Family Code, claiming the affidavit contains information used to develop an investigation into the abuse or neglect of the unidentified minor.
The county routinely makes this argument to the AG and the county regularly wins, keeping the preliminary details of the serious allegations — which are in the public’s interest — secret.
However, the newspaper did attend Ramirez’s first appearance in the courtroom at the Hidalgo County Adult Detention Center, where Ramirez claimed self defense following an altercation at Aguilar’s home.
He told a judge that his neighbor, who was an alleged cocaine dealer, wouldn’t let him sleep on weekends because of loud music and a constant flow of visitors.
When Ramirez confronted Aguilar, the alleged victim threatened him and a struggle ensued, according to the suspect.
“I reacted the way I reacted,” Ramirez said in Spanish.
The fatal stabbing occurred at 9:50 p.m. April 8 in the 6300 block of Allegiant Street where authorities found Aguilar unresponsive and suffering from a stab wound to his chest.
Ramirez remains held on a $1 million bond.
