Man accused of fatally shooting Fresno father, injuring wife and son, will stand trial
A Madera man accused of shooting three members of a northwest Fresno family and killing one of them will go to trial, a Fresno County Superior Court judge ruled Thursday.
Lavale Vean Jr., 23, is charged with one count of murder and two counts of attempted murder in the Oct. 2, 2017 shooting that killed 52-year-old Roberto Ramos and wounded his wife, Irma, 52, and son, Jacob, 20.
Although the shooting initially appeared random, detectives soon discovered Vean and Jacob Ramos shared a violent past.
The two men had known each other for several years, having first met at the Madera County Juvenile Boot Camp. After serving their sentences, the two men did a few drug deals together, said Vincent Miranda, a Fresno detective.
In 2015, Vean was supposed to buy some cocaine from Ramos, but the deal fell apart. Ramos accused Vean of paying him with phony money and Ramos vowed to get even, Miranda said.
Ramos set up a fake drug deal in Madera to try and lure Vean into a trap. It worked, with Ramos and a friend beating up Vean, stripping his clothes off and kicking him in the face several times, Miranda testified.
Miranda and prosecutor Ryan Wells believe Vean was looking for revenge the day he came to the Ramos’ home in the 5000 block of West Fir Avenue.
When Miranda interviewed Vean, he asked the detective if he was aware of what was done to him in Madera.
“He (Vean) was upset because he felt justice had not been served in the case,” Miranda said.
Vean and an unidentified shooter allegedly approached the house, with one of the shooters taking aim at Jacob Ramos and his mother, who were sitting inside the garage. Another shooter went after Roberto Ramos, who was taking the garbage out, Miranda said.
Multiple shots were fired. Fresno Police crime scene technician Gina Cavazos testified to collecting 16 bullet casings; 10 were .40 caliber and six were 9 mm.
Miranda said police have not made any more arrests in the shooting.
Vean’s attorney Lourdes Espinosa said her client doesn’t know who the other shooter is. She said Vean’s memory is faulty because of the head trauma he suffered from the 2015 beating.
Vean was arrested for the Ramos murder on Feb. 10, 2018 at a Motel 6 in Childress, Texas.
Vean will be arraigned on Feb. 28. If convicted on all charges, he faces up to 108 years in prison.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 4:16 PM.
