Fresno teenager takes plea deal in murder of Army enlistee. ‘He had a lot going for him’
A Fresno man pleaded no contest Friday to fatally shooting 18-year-old Dezon Cheatham and wounding Christyan Roberts, 17, during a robbery attempt in central Fresno.
The deadly shooting happened on Jan. 8, 2020 as Cheatham and Roberts sat in a car on Tyler Avenue near Fifth Street.
Police said the victims were selling vape pens and were confronted by Jonathan Gabriel Ramirez, who was 16 at the time, and his then-14-year-old brother. Ramirez is accused of shooting both teenagers, said Amy Freeman, senior deputy district attorney.
Cheatham died of a gunshot wound to the upper body. Roberts was shot in the face and was in critical condition at the time of the shooting. He has since recovered, but remains traumatized, Freeman said.
Cheatham had recently enlisted in the U.S. Army and was scheduled to report for duty in February 2020. Roberts was a youth leader at his church. Neither had gang ties and neither was armed during the shooting, police said.
“Dezon was a really good kid,” Freeman said. “He had a lot going for him. He took care of his mom. He was a good kid.”
As part of the plea agreement, Ramirez pleaded no contest to three felonies: murder, attempted murder and second degree robbery. The remaining felonies, including two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm, were dismissed.
In exchange for his plea, Ramirez could receive up to 20 years to life in prison. But because of his young age, he will get a parole hearing after he serves 20 years.
Had Ramirez not taken a plea deal he could have faced up to 90 years to life in prison.
His younger brother, who is not named because he is a minor, pleaded no contest to attempted murder and robbery charges. He will serve his sentence in a juvenile detention center.
Family members of the victims were not in court Friday, but will be attending the sentencing hearing on Jan. 20, Freeman said.
This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
