On a Sunday afternoon in Marietta, Georgia, a lunch date between long-term couple Janice Ross and Jose Ramon Lemus turned tragic. It was December 6, 2020, at the El Ranchero Restaurant on Cobb Parkway when a conversation between the two escalated, forever altering the lives of their families. Ross, a 43-year-old female, began to question Lemus about his communication with another woman. This inquiry ignited Lemus's anger, leading him to pull out a firearm.
In a sudden act of violence, Lemus shot Ross in the neck. As panic and terror filled the restaurant, he fled the scene, disappearing into the woods behind the establishment. The shooting prompted lockdowns at the nearby campuses of Kennesaw State and Life universities as law enforcement began their search for the armed man. The extensive manhunt concluded about an hour later when a Marietta Police Department K9 officer named Jacquo discovered Lemus hiding in some bushes near a baseball field on Kennesaw State's Marietta campus.
Back at the restaurant, Janice Ross succumbed to her gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators were able to quickly identify Lemus as the shooter thanks to eyewitness accounts from other patrons in the restaurant. Further solidifying the case against him, authorities found his Honduran passport inside a backpack he had left behind at El Ranchero.
Jose Ramon Lemus, who was 53 at the time, was arrested and charged with the murder of his girlfriend. He eventually pleaded guilty to the charges. During his sentencing in March 2023, the devastating impact of his actions was laid bare as family members of Janice Ross spoke about their profound loss. Her 14-year-old daughter expressed the deep and lasting pain of her mother's absence, stating, 'I need my mom here and she won't be there. She won't be at prom or my high school graduation. I won't ever get my mom back and it hurts. I hope he knows how badly he has affected me.' The judge, calling the crime 'senseless' and 'tragic,' sentenced Jose Ramon Lemus to life in prison for the murder of Janice Ross.
