A 22-year-old Santa Clarita man pleaded not guilty to a second-degree murder charge Thursday at his arraignment.
Through an interpreter, prior to his preliminary hearing, Raul Rosales Ramirez turned down a 15-year plea deal for his alleged role as the driver in a fatal crash in the early morning hours following Halloween 2023.
The deputies who responded at 3:37 a.m. Nov. 1, 2023, to Bouquet Canyon Road, near Sutters Pointe Drive, said an Apple watch made a 911 notification to the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.
Orlando Gomez Sales, a 39-year-old Santa Clarita man, had sustained fatal injuries in the crash, according to an incident report.
Ramirez was trapped in the driver’s seat of the car due to a crash, which left his car smashed into a pole on the west side of the southbound lanes of Bouquet Canyon Road, according to the deputy’s testimony in the minute order.
There were multiple signs of impairment, including a heavy odor of alcohol on him, red eyes, slurred speech and an unsteady gait, according to testimony from Deputy Samuel Curameng in the minute order for the preliminary hearing.
Ramirez told Curameng that he had been driving and that he and Gomez had been on their way to get more alcohol, according to the transcript. He also testified that when Ramirez was given a breathalyzer test for his blood alcohol level three hours after the crash, it registered at 0.15, nearly twice the legal limit.
Sgt. Mark Perkins of the station’s Traffic Unit said previously the murder charge was presented to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office because Ramirez had a previous conviction for DUI.
Ramirez is being held at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic.
He’s due back in court Sept. 15 for his next hearing date. He was remanded to custody without bail after the hearing.
