Overview
- Jermaine Lamar Houston, 40, was sentenced to life in prison after convictions for first-degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault and weapons misconduct.
- Victim Racal Monique Ramos, 36, was shot on Aug. 22, 2022, inside a Phoenix apartment near 27th Avenue while packing to leave.
- Prosecutors say a friend had intervened after Houston pointed a gun, and responding officers then heard multiple gunshots from inside the residence.
- Ramos was on the phone with a domestic violence shelter, her four children escaped, and she later died at a hospital.
- Police found Houston hiding in a nearby backyard chicken coop shortly after the shooting, and court records note he later denied knowing why he was arrested.