Appeals court upholds sentence in 1993 Yakima Co. slayings
SPOKANE, Wash. — A Washington appeals court has upheld the 85-year prison term for a man convicted of killing a Yakima County family.
The Yakima Herald-Republic reports that the appeals court in Spokane rejected Joel Ramos’ argument that a Yakima County Superior Court judge couldn’t sentence him to consecutive adult sentences because he was 14 at the time of the 1993 slayings.
Ramos’ attorney, Nancy Collins of the Washington Appellate Project, says she needs to review the decision before deciding whether to appeal to the state Supreme Court.
Ramos and another boy, Miguel Gaitan, were 14 when they murdered four members of the Skelton family, of Outlook, in March 1993.
Ramos pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the deaths of Michael Skelton, his wife Lynn, and their children, 12-year-old Jason and 6-year-old Bryan.
