Lengthy prison term in unincorporated Redwood City stepdaughter sex case

Ramirez was facing a life sentence on accusations he raped his 13-year-old stepdaughter on multiple occasions and orally copulated his 8-year-old stepdaughter, among other sexual abuses of both girls. Prosecutors said the alleged abuses, which are said to have took place between June of 2015 and August of 2017, came to light when Ramirez allegedly told a church counselor about his conduct.

The 13-year-old girl, who was allegedly beaten by Ramirez with a belt when she tried to stop him, also told her mother about the abuses. He allegedly has a 7-year-old stepdaughter as well, but there is currently no evidence showing he abused her, according to prosecutors previously.

Ramirez, who has a prior misdemeanor domestic violence conviction dating back to 1996, pleaded no contest to continuous child molestation and child molestation for his crimes against the 13-year-old girl and two counts of child molestation for a child under 10 years old for his crimes against the 8-year-old, according to prosecutors.

Ramirez’s defense attorney Steve Chase said he was disappointed in the outcome of his client’s case, noting the sentencing structure for sex crimes is very punitive and left his client almost no bargaining power. He said Ramirez’s daughter from another marriage vouched for him as a fabulous father, and added his client doesn’t have a family history of longevity and is unlikely to outlive his sentence.

“These types of crimes can result in some very serious injuries, emotional injuries to the children,” he said. “But the vast majority of the cases are done without any kind of malice and the people themselves were victimized. This is the case with Mr. Ramirez.”

Deputy District Attorney Al Serrato said prosecutors were gratified to see Ramirez’s lengthy sentence, which he noted was commensurate with the serious crimes he committed.

“It reflects the serious nature of the trauma, both physical and mental, that he’s inflicted on these young children,” he said. “It’s worthy of the most serious punishment.”

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