Man Convicted for 2018 Placitas Kidnapping, Carjacking After Capture

A federal jury on December 16 convicted Jose Ramirez, 37, for his role in the July 26, 2018 kidnapping and carjacking of his former employer in Placitas. Ramirez was found guilty on counts including conspiracy to kidnap, kidnapping, conspiracy to carjack, carjacking, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and extortion. He remained in federal custody pending sentencing, where he faces not less than five years and up to life in prison.

Court documents and evidence presented at trial describe a premeditated attack and a long evasion that stretched across state lines. "A day before the incident, Ramirez met with his co-defendants in Albuquerque to recruit them for what he described as a job to 'get back at his boss for firing him' and 'take his boss for all he had.' At the time of the crime, Ramirez was under court supervision and wearing a GPS ankle monitoring bracelet. Hours before the kidnapping, Ramirez cut off his ankle monitor," the release says.

The prosecution detailed how Ramirez and an accomplice ambushed the victim outside his Placitas home in the early morning hours. "In the early morning hours of July 26, 2018, Ramirez and his co-defendant ambushed the victim as he left his Placitas residence. Ramirez placed the victim in a headlock with a knife to his throat while his co-defendant pistol-whipped him multiple times in the face. The victim was bound, placed in the bed of his own Ford Ranger truck, and driven to a remote compound on Pajarito Mesa. There, Ramirez held the victim captive in a shed for approximately 15 hours while attempting to extort ransom money from the victim’s family and force wire transfers to Mexico. Late that evening, the victim was dropped off in southwest Albuquerque. He walked to a nearby gas station and asked the clerk to call 911. Following the crime, Ramirez fled and evaded capture for seven years before being arrested by law enforcement in California for drug possession."

For Sandoval County, the case underscores two local concerns. First, the brazen nature of the attack on a Placitas residence and the protracted captivity on nearby Pajarito Mesa drew attention to safety and emergency response in dispersed rural neighborhoods. Second, Ramirez was under court supervision when he removed a GPS ankle monitor, raising questions about supervision practices and the reliability of electronic monitoring in preventing violent crime.

Federal prosecutors said Ramirez will be sentenced at a later date. The conviction closes a chapter that began in 2018 and offers a measure of accountability for the victim and the community while prompting renewed attention to monitoring, cross jurisdictional law enforcement work, and victim recovery resources in Sandoval County.