A jury in San Francisco acquitted a man who had been in custody for more than a year on an attempted murder charge, finding he was defending himself and his girlfriend when he shot a man who had assaulted him, authorities said Thursday.
Mario Ramirez had spent the last year in jail awaiting trial, nearly nine months past a constitutionally-mandated trial deadline due to the extreme trial backlog in San Francisco Superior Court, according to a press statement from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office.
Following an investigation, police arrested Ramirez on Feb. 12 and on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon, carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony, and violating parole, among others. The man who was shot testified in court that he and Ramirez were former friends and admitted he was under the influence of methamphetamine when he assaulted Ramirez, accusing him of stealing from him. Ramirez's girlfriend testified that the couple avoided returning home for several hours over fear that the alleged victim would be there waiting for them, the public defender's office said.
"The jury did the right and thoughtful thing in evaluating the situation for what it was - an act of self-defense and defense of others," said Helvestine in a prepared statement."What's truly unfortunate is that Mr. Ramirez was held in jail so long past his speedy trial deadline that he missed the birth of his child."
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