Phoenix Man Given 280-Year Prison Sentence

(Phoenix, Ariz. – Oct. 10, 2007) Attorney General Terry Goddard today announced that Bernie “Junior” Ramirez, 34, of Phoenix, has been sentenced to 280 years in prison. Ramirez was found guilty September 7 in Maricopa County Superior Court on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and drug possession.

The sentencing follows a month-long trial where evidence was presented that Ramirez lured two teenage girls to a Phoenix hotel room in 2004, gave them drugs, tied them up with duct tape and raped them repeatedly over the next eight hours.

Ramirez was sentenced by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Joseph Heilman. Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Rueter prosecuted this case. The conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Phoenix Police Department.