'I hate myself,' says teen rapist sentenced to 28 years in prison

15-year-old boy was in adult court for brutal attack of 64-year-old woman.

By Andy Sedlak, Staff Writer
Updated 3:11 AM Saturday, October 9, 2010

HAMILTON — A 15-year-old Liberty Twp. boy convicted of raping a 64-year-old woman was sentenced to 28 years in prison Friday in Butler County Common Pleas Court.

Alexis Ramirez, a former Monroe Local Schools student, sobbed and stared blankly at the floor as Judge Keith Spaeth handed down his ruling.

“I hate myself,” Ramirez said prior to sentencing. “People look at me as a monster. They have every right to.

“I’m guilty and whatever you give me, I’ll do it,” he said.

Ramirez could have been handed a maximum sentence of 83 years in prison for the nine felony charges. The teen, who is an illegal immigrant from Mexico, will likely face deportation when he is released from prison.

Ramirez’s victim, Phyllis Mays of Liberty Twp., who agreed to be named, and her family sat quietly in the back of the courtroom during the proceeding.

Josh Colon, a pastor who translated for Ramirez’s Spanish-speaking mother, Ava Ramirez, quoted her as saying: “Physically, our heart hurts for what he did.”

Ramirez was convicted Aug. 26 on charges of felonious assault, aggravated robbery, aggravated burglary, two counts of kidnapping, three counts of rape and tampering with evidence. He was also classified as a Tier III sex offender, which requires him to register with the sheriff’s office for the rest of his life.

Armed with a pellet rifle, Ramirez, who was 14 at the time, attacked Mays in the early morning hours of Jan. 11 after storming into her residence in the Countryside Mobile Home Community. According to police, he then beat her, raped her and forced her to drive to an ATM machine to get money.

When Spaeth asked the teen what motivated him to commit such a brutal act, Ramirez said he didn’t know.

“I thought she would be scared and give me all her money,” Ramirez said. “I don’t know what made me do all that.”

Son: Attack still has devastating effect on victim, family

The image is still fresh in Jon Feltner’s mind: Kneeling down on his hands and knees, scrubbing his mother’s blood from the floor of her Liberty Twp. mobile home where she had just been brutally beaten and raped by then 14-year-old Alexis Ramirez.

“I couldn’t believe the amount of blood that was shed,” Feltner said during a sentencing hearing for Ramirez, who was convicted in August of raping 64-year-old Phyllis Mays, who agreed to be identified.

The impact of Ramirez’s actions continue to have a devastating effect on his mother and their family, Feltner said.

“I have no faith at all there’s (anything) that can be done with Mr. Ramirez based on what I’ve seen with my own eyes,” he said.

Butler County Common Pleas Judge Keith Spaeth sentenced Ramirez on Friday to 28 years in prison without the possibility of parole. Spaeth said the decision was a challenging one because of the defendant’s age. Despite being a teenager, Ramirez was tried as an adult.

“This is a very difficult case for the court. It is a very difficult case for the parties involved,” Spaeth said before adding, but “a 14-year-old is supposed to have some value system.”

Ramirez was found guilty Aug. 26 of forcing his way into Mays’ residence in the Countryside Mobile Home Community in Liberty Twp. on Jan. 11, where he brutally beat and raped her. He then forced Mays to drive him to an ATM to get money.

Prior to sentencing, Ramirez’s defense attorney, David Brewer, asked the court to consider “what it’s like to be a 14-year-old boy.” He acknowledged the severity of his client’s actions, calling them “unspeakable” and “horrendous,” but he tried to convince the judge that’s not who Ramirez is today.

“I think society wants him to look evil, and that’s what he was (in January),” Brewer said. “But now the reality is, that’s not who he is.”

Brewer said he looks at Ramirez, now 15, as “a little kid” with low intelligence and no impulse control.

Ramirez himself tried to make the case that he’s different now.

Before the incident, Ramirez, a former Monroe Local Schools student, said he had people to drink and do drugs with, but no friends. He called that behavior “stupid.”

“I know I can change, but I can’t change what I did,” the Liberty Twp. teen said prior to sentencing.

Ramirez also penned a handwritten-letter to Mays that his attorney read aloud to the judge and the victim who was sitting the back of the courtroom.

“I’m only a low-life kid,” Brewer quoted from the letter as Ramirez stood nearby, sobbing, with his eyes fixed on the floor.

“One of the things I did was ruin your life ... I wish I could experience your pain 10 times worse.”

From: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/crime/i-hate-myself-says-teen-rapist-sentenced-to-28i-hate-myself-says-teen-rapist-sentenced-to-28-years-in-prison-971509.html?cxntlid=cmg_cntnt_rss