Celina Victoria Ramirez, a 22-year-old woman from Stockton, California, tragically lost her life on June 9, 2018. Her death was the result of a shooting that occurred near the intersection of West Lane and Knickerbocker Drive in Stockton. Ramirez had recently attended a family member's graduation party and was on her way to building a more promising future, having just received her high school diploma.
Her untimely death marked Stockton's 15th homicide of the year.
The investigation into Ramirez's murder revealed that she knew her alleged killer, Alexes Daniel Corrales. Corrales, 20 years old at the time, was arrested less than 48 hours after the incident. He was charged with her murder and held in the San Joaquin County Jail without bail. The motive behind the killing was linked to Ramirez's willingness to testify as a witness in a crime, making her a target. Corrales faced the possibility of the death penalty or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Further details emerged about Ramirez's past, indicating that she had been a co-defendant with Corrales's older brother, Edgar Corrales, in a 2016 Lodi homicide case. Ramirez had pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact with a gang enhancement and had served time in the San Joaquin County Jail. She was released in May 2018, just a month before her death. Edgar Corrales was serving a 25-year-to-life sentence in Pelican Bay State Prison for the murder of Louis Delatorre, which occurred on January 25, 2016.
The connection between Ramirez and the Corrales brothers was further illustrated by their involvement in various criminal activities. Public court records showed that Ramirez and Alexes Corrales had been caught trespassing on state land in 2015. Additionally, Ramirez was found concealing a short-barrel shotgun in her pants during a traffic stop in 2016, leading to her arrest on multiple gun possession charges.
The case against Alexes Corrales was ongoing, with the District Attorney's Office yet to decide whether to seek the death penalty. The investigation remained active, and authorities continued to gather evidence and testimonies to build a strong case against Corrales. Ramirez's family and friends mourned her loss, remembering her as a kind and loving person who had been working towards a brighter future.
