Jury begins weighing evidence in fatal Cathedral City attack case

Jury deliberations began on Monday in the Riverside County Superior Court trial of Johnny Ramirez, 34, a man accused of participating in a fatal assault on a young man in 2020. The 34-year-old Escondido resident stands accused of joining his friend, Edgar Navez, in an attack that left 24-year-old Ricardo Gallardo dead. Both defendants are charged with first-degree murder, along with an allegation that they used a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony.

Ramirez is currently held in the Robert Presley Jail in lieu of $1 million bail. Navez, 33, of Desert Hot Springs, remains at large. He fled before a warrant could be served on him, and his current whereabouts are unknown. Judge Matthew Perantoni sent the jurors to deliberate after closing statements were delivered by the prosecution and defense. The group broke for the day and is scheduled to return to the Riverside Hall of Justice on Tuesday morning.

Prosecutors presented evidence indicating that the two men were driving through Cathedral City on the evening of Nov. 23, 2020. Ramirez parked his vehicle near the intersection of Aliso Road and Avenida Del Yerma, and the pair exited the car to walk. Gallardo passed by shortly after, sparking a verbal argument primarily between him and Navez. Investigators later confirmed that the defendants held some form of gang affiliation, though the specific cause of the initial hostility remained unclear to authorities.

According to the district attorney's brief, Navez pulled a knife, prompting Gallardo to run. Navez pursued the victim closely, with Ramirez trailing behind them by a few seconds. Navez caught up to Gallardo, knocking him to the ground and beginning to stab him. A low-quality security video from a nearby business captured part of the incident. The footage suggested that Ramirez either stabbed the victim or punched him.

Gallardo sustained 11 puncture wounds to his head, chest, and stomach. After the attackers fled, the victim stumbled toward Ramon Road and Avenida Del Yermo. Bystanders noticed his condition and called 911. Gallardo was transported to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, where he died that night.

Detectives traced Ramirez after he dropped his mobile phone in front of a store while fleeing the scene. A store clerk spotted the device on the sidewalk as people gathered around the victim. Patrol officers seized the phone and handed it to homicide detectives. The device could not be downloaded until 2023, when technology improvements allowed access to the data. A search warrant was obtained to examine the contents.

Investigators found a video on the phone showing Ramirez driving with Navez in the passenger seat, taken eight minutes before the attack. Other videos allegedly showed the two men posing with handguns and flashing gang signs. Ramirez was arrested without incident in Escondido on Aug. 8, 2023. During questioning, he stated that he was at the scene. When asked why he did not try to stop the attack, he told an interrogator he did not want to get himself hurt.

Navez is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. Details regarding Ramirez's prior conviction, which took place outside of Riverside County, were not available in court records.