Dist. of Columbia – A Virginia man’s death on Interstate 295 in 2015, initially believed to be a result of road rage, was later revealed to be part of an intricate revenge plot orchestrated by Oscar Ramos, prosecutors claimed in court.
Pedro Melendez-Alvarado, 50, was fatally shot after a traffic altercation in Northern Virginia, leading to a high-speed chase across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and onto I-295, according to police reports.
During a recent two-week trial at D.C. Superior Court, Ramos was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed in connection with Melendez-Alvarado’s death. Prosecutors alleged that Ramos, originally from El Salvador, sought revenge for the killing of his father years ago by Melendez-Alvarado.
On the morning of May 28, 2015, on the interstate, Ramos allegedly pulled up next to Melendez-Alvarado’s vehicle and opened fire, resulting in the victim’s death.
Despite Ramos’s claims, an investigation in El Salvador by detectives found no evidence linking Melendez-Alvarado to the death of Ramos’s father.
Prosecutors presented testimony and social media evidence during the trial, showcasing Ramos’s alleged confession to friends and online followers. Ramos was accused of using a fake social media account to deceive Melendez-Alvarado and lure him to his death.
Ramos’s defense attorneys argued that their client was innocent, emphasizing a lack of direct evidence tying Ramos to the crime, such as eyewitnesses or DNA evidence. The defense was successful in preventing jurors from learning about Ramos’s affiliation with the MS-13 gang, as it was deemed irrelevant to the case at hand.
Ramos is set to be sentenced on July 12, following his conviction for the first-degree murder of Pedro Melendez-Alvarado.