Ramon Salcido: Gruesome Murders in the Wine County of Sonoma County
88My Talks with Ramon
I was the Paralegal working inside the Sonoma County jails when Salcido committed the crimes (killing his wife and two children plus others) of April 14, 1989. Once he arrived in the jail, he had wanted access to the law library like many inmates.
It is their right. My job was to help them with writing motions\research etc. Despite his repeated requests, Ramon was denied. The Public Defender was fearful that he might say something to me that would jepardize his case. The District Attorney thought they should only be able to talk to him. There was a jealousy issue between them because he had not been in jail that long.
There was also some political issues happening because of the international aspect, Marteen Miller, the PD, objected strongly that I meet with Ramon and applied pressure on the sheriff (my employer-I was a contract Paralegal) to prevent it. Then, when they found out some "paralegal" was allowed access to this killer because he wanted to use the law library, to them, it was insulting.
Despite their efforts, I met with Ramon many times. I was nervous at first. I found his English broken at best. He wanted to research, or for me to research, some insanity plea based upon the fact (as he told me) he had been doing coke at a bar with friends prior to coming home, he was fairly wasted. He was a jealous guy by nature- a Mexican with a beautiful white
woman is just cause. He was suspicious of any guy staring at her. Kind of like John Lennon was with his first wife, Cynthia (Lennon would confront any bloke staring at her). He told me that when he arrived home early that morning, he walked into the bedroom and found his wife gone. He searched the rooms-not there. Just the kids. Then, she came in from the outside while he was in the kitchen. He told me he thought she had been out with another guy and left the kids alone all night. That is when he went into a rage while still under the influence of coke. Fact was, she had gone to the ATM to withdraw money because she was planning to leave him that day. In a rage, thinking of her with another man, he got a kitchen knife and
stabbed her during a scuffle. He then told me, he just went "loco". Thinking he had killed his wife, he could not stand the thought of his kids with others while he went to jail, he put them in car and went to a dump where he sliced them in the throats, then he just ran.
Only Carmina Salcido (now 23) survived.
He told me that he had no problem crossing the border into Mexico, which
surprised him. As he got close to his hometown, he got on a local bus with a gun in his pocket and blood on his coat and shirt. The gun handle hung out of his pocket. I asked him if anyone asked you questions about all this- I mean it is odd- he said no, some looked, but nobody said or asked anything. At that point, he felt he would be safe for awhile.
I asked him why he did all this? He just said, "I was angry and coked up and lost it". But when I asked about killing his kids who he loved, he just shrugged his shoulders, got a little emotional and said, "I just lost it".
I found him that way. A normal guy with real jealousy issues because of his shaky relationship with his wife, pumped up on drugs from the night before, angry about losing his job, unsure about the future income (they were quite poor) and then bad timing. Bad timing, in that, had she not gone out that early AM to the ATM or had already done it earlier in the day, he would have come home stoned and simply gone to bed and odds are it would not have happened. But, as it played out, stoned on drugs, thinking your wife is cheating, being in the kitchen when she appears from the outside early AM, having a jealousy issue- all played a role that lit the fuse. Tragic. It does not excuse what he did but the guy simply broke down. Some soldiers break under fire and just go "loco".
Ramon did not like the presiding judge, so he used one of the boilerplate forms we had for a motion to remove the judge from the case. Once filed, my job came under fire because he had got it from me and asked me how to fill it out. This was construed as giving legal advice. But, my job duties specifically said to provide inmates with legal help. My contract was not renewed a year later.
Ramon and Carmina may be more similar than she would like. They have the same cold, steel, stone face, which can hide their real feeling well. Much of the talks I had with him were done in a "manner of fact" mode. Little emotion until some remorse about slitting his kids throats slipped out. The guy had a "stiff upper lip" so to speak.
Ramon remains on death row in San Quentin. Do I think he regrets his actions? Even back then, when it came to his kids, I think he did. This was a not a planned, thought out murder on his part but happened because of unrelated events that happened and his own insecurities. Totally unforeseen and the trigger was that early morning. When it comes to his wife, I think there is less regret, things had been on the rocks between them and rage plus jealousy dictated his thought process leading to his action.
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I agree.
ramon is my uncle and i can remember the days that follewed up to that tragic day that6 seemed to go on for almost a week. He was never a maniac he was just pushed over the edge by that tramp of a wife. She sl;e-pt around and embarrassed him in front of alll the family ..
@ Maria, Youre saying that becasue "she was a tramp" it was okay for him to kill her, her mother, her sibling and THEIR children?? I think not. He should have throat slit and be left in a dump to bleed to death. He has no excuses. NONE. I dont care what "drug" he was "on", if he knew he wasnt sober he shouldnt have come home. He's lucky I wasnt his wife...I would have stabbed his sorry ass first.
Both maria and bella are correct. what he did was horrific and he knows it, push over the edge or not. Like he told way back then "I just lost it".
What winery did it happen at?
He sodomized, sexually assualted and killed his 8 year old sister in law. He is a disgusting monster. He didn't just kill his "tramp of a wife", but six other people as well. Are you people crazy? He didn't just lose it, he is an animal.
Animals operate on instinct built into their DNA, they have no choice. Ramon was fine until a combination of events and in the end, drugs, heavily influenced how he thought and acted-years in the making probably. Yes, for awhile he was an animal.
His daughter, Carmina, will be appearing on American Idol this season, she is said to have a good voice.
Just saw this case on TV, what a effin piece of crap.
Maria, your uncle sodomized and cut the throat of an 8 year old girl because his wife was maybe sleeping around, and you justify that?
Look how he laughs and says not really, when asked by a reporter if he was sorry for his crimes.
Your uncle is a monster, a sub human fecal matter.
I am so damn angry, even though it wasnt my family members butchered, I would love to torture this reject, in my mind killing him is way too humane.
When the state executes him he will get off easy, until he sees whats waiting for him on the other side.
That will wipe that stupid cavalier attitude off his demonic face.
Yes, he is on death row WAY too long, granted, so he will die. His cavalier look is a defense or reaction to something that he knows was horrific. He was like that on the plane from mexico with the police-it is a macho facade-he is mexican and many are like that.
Ramon, is a piece of crap, and don't know why he's been kept alive for so long after what he did, and as for Maria I wish nobody do to you or anyone in your family what your uncle did to his wife, children and sister-in-law, how about that, he's just evil, sucker should be dead by now.
Well "Maria f. Ramirez" if u don't think ur "wonderful" uncle did anything wrong and had the right to kill 7 people including 3 little innocent little girls that Happen to have your blood then you need some help I mean since u are related to him you might go all crazy on your family too and kill them, that is if anyone would even get near you knowing who ur uncle is and that u justify why he did what he did ur whole family probably needs mental health ;-)
Ramon is not mentally ill, he tried that defense and was looking into it when I saw him in jail, I told him then it would never work because you knew what you were doing and could have stopped if you had the self control. Ramon even two days before any of the this occurred, was a normal dude working at a winery.
Interesting article
Apples with apples perraya. Quoting you, "He was a jealous guy by nature- a Mexican with a beautiful white woman..." "Mexican" implies nationality while "white" implies race. For your information Ramon and his wife are both white in race, hence their children are white; while Ramon is Mexican by nationality and his wife American. Have you; heard of people being non-Hispanic whites? What does that mean, perrya? You are not politically correct, as many white and black uneducated Amemricans.
Sure, there are more white than brown skinned hispanics, duh! yet, fact is, he was a mexican guy who married an american. Nothing wrong until he felt insecure about himself, his marriage, about how to raise the kids. Yes, the US census classifies hispanics as white, which is weird and made an accurate census very problematic.
@ MARIA...i just finished reading the book "Not Lost Forver" by Carmina Salcido and Steven Jackson. For those who don't know it is the story of survival of the only daughter of Ramon Salcido that survived "the tragedy"(how he Ramon Salcido recalls). Strongly recomend it to you, since you are only willing to hear your familys side of the story or for what you recall yourself. No on on this earth is allowed to take anyones elses life but there are cowards like ur UNCLE who take it upon themselves to make such a decision. Because that is wat it was HIS DECISION TO MASSACRE HIS FAMILY AND HIS BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS.He is by the far and will always be an emberassment to the Mexican Society. I say this and i have a right to because i am Mexican MYSELF!!! If i wore you i would dig a whole to far deep into this earth and fall in it. You should be emberassed of yourself for what you posted. Specially because you are a women or so we think.You need help! instead of trying to defend ur uncles name you should be trying to help one of your family members, the most important person that survived that massacre!
I think ramon is a piece of crap i don't care what his wife did he head no reason to take her life or the innocent children. He is the devil hisself and he deserves to burn in hell for eternity so do the people that think his actions was justify he is a sick demon and he needs to be totured every day for the rest of his life the prison needs to put his dead children and his his sister inlaw and wife picture in his cell and remind him everyday what he did while he is hanging from the ceiling by his hands make him die a slow and painful death thats what he deserves and when the sorry excuse of a person dies he needs to burn in hell
If this thug would have been placed in general population, I guarantee you he would have been dead a long time ago.
I was not aware of Ramon Salcido and the murders he committed until I watched a show last night. It gave me nightmares especially what he did to the girls. It never fails to amaze me how murderers can justify their actions by claiming alchohol, drugs, insanity, jealousy, etc. He is definitely headed for hell and hope it's soon so California taxpayers don't have to foot his prison bill for another year. I admire his daughter Carmina for her courage in confronting the asshole.
Perrya, I think you are still defending this asshole and making excuses for him.
Maria, you need to get your head out of your ass!
He is an asshole, granted, he does deserve to die, but unlike a Manson-type, this guy knows he is guilty. He knows he lost it and his rage ended his life.
Perrya: I hear where you are coming from, but I think you are being a bit too easy on the guy. He was asked specifically if he had any remorse for what he did as he was being extradited to the US, and he laughed and said 'no not really." You will probably say this is a "defense of a man who knows he committed horrific acts," but I don't think it's that easy.
Raping your in-law and killing your kids puts you on a different level than just being in a rage and killing your wife due to jealousy. He then fled the country, and even his own daughter says his emotions years later were "terrifying." I hate to say it, but you appear to have been somewhat manipulated by him, or perhaps you just don't want to admit that someone is capable of this kind of cruelty without being on drugs and in a rage.
In any case, glad he is in jail and on death row. His daughter, carmina, survived and is on Americna Idol this year.
carmina can't sing, she thinks she is an opera singer, but please. And as far as Angela? she was in a hotel room that morning with the owner of the modeling school Ramon was working 2 jobs to put her thru studies. As well? Her Mother is the one who found out Angela was pregnant after a one night stand at a Mexican dance in Sebastapol, and her own Mother sent her back to that same dance hall a moth later and told her to find another, have sex with him and then keep contact, tell him she is pregnant with his baby. Ramon was lied to from the beginning, Sophia? First born? Dark hair, dark skin. Teresita and Carmina both blonde. His Mother in law planned it all just for her daughter to keep face. My my, look what she caused. by the way? Melvin Belli sued the Sonoma Mission Inn for Ramon because they refused him a room. Angela got caught in the hot tub with the owner of her modeling school by Ramon, and she shouted at him Sophia was not his to begin with because her Mother planned her to make it look like he was Sophia's father....so that is why she was at the ATM cause she knew she had to get out of town after her "bearing all" at the Inn. He will bring the real truth out. Carmina? She begs people for money on her facebook page. Guess her book was a flop.
NOTHING ....I repeat NOTHING justifies killing 7 people.
Playing devils advocate here, what the innocents caught in war? I mean, just collateral damage, right?
To Loca Tambien. You are F@#@ Crazy!!! How could you even defend this piece of scum!!! you must of lived with the B@#@#@@ and spread your legs for him, Because there is NO logical reason to defend this pig!!!!Let him have a horific death and may you go with him. you deserve each other. And as for Carmina. God Bless you! Every human being is behind you! Good luck!!!
To Loca tambien.... really??? I mean... REALLY!?!?!? No matter how bad a marriage is, NOTHING justifies murdering your entire family, including your children. In a vicious and gruesome way. You'd probably defend men who beat their wives as well? Because the wives 'were just asking for it'?!?!? You're sick. And how dare you come down so hard on Carmina... the girl WITNESSED her two sisters having their throats slit right in front of her, by her own father. Then she had her own throat slit by this same man. The man that you are defending because 'my my, look what she caused...'. Carmina was left with no family, and left with a father who stated no remorse when questioned by her. Nothing at all justifies his actions. 'Losing it' is not a defense.
We all read/heard stories of those who, after a alcoholic bender/binge (conscious, or uncontrolled, psychotic episode), was astonished to find out they did something(promiscuous or even heinous)that would be unthinkable, while sober.
All have free will to "choose" to drink or do drugs. Actions/behavior (good or bad), have always produced consequences.
Salcido has a prison life devoid of companionship (for his own safety) in the general population, memories and dreams of what he did. His execution date is always on his mind. Death is his companion and waits patiently for him.
Whether a heartless, freak, monster/demon from the bowels of hell itself, who knew exactly what he was doing, or whether in a psychotic state in which he was unconscious (probably not), He must suffer the consequences of his actions (choices)
Learn from this story and apply its' lessons to your life and those around you.
Carmina, blessings to you dear one!
violence and the macho culture is deep in mexican heart. just look at all the mass killings in mexico. one year's narco related killing in mexico is equal to the U.S. deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan in 7 yrs!
mexican culture is very violent and animal like.
Mexicans are dirty, stupid and evil.
I can agree with Jay and MW, but Taco, u for real? There are many great people from Mexico. every society has bad elements.
he is loathsome and he should have been executed many many years ago... killing his tiny little innocent daughters? Hello he is a dirtbag
Just watched the show on computer and it saddens me that it all happen sounds as though he planned it and that there was much more to the whole story than just a jealous fit. It is so wonderful that their is the survivor but to hear her and to know that she remembers such vivid details of when she was three well I hope that she is in some sort of threophy I worry about her. Seeing her poise in a picture with him in jail wow I can't help but wonder exactly what is ticking inside of her..and will daddy be put to death or are the fine people of that state going to have to pay his way till he dies.
i can not believe the heartless things im reading on here said to or about carmina....i lived this as it played out in our community. carmina done nothing to have done to her what ramon done. she was a child, i have read her facebook...never have i seen her ask 4 money, thats not true to my knowledge. if it were true what its to u ne way.....sounds like jelious crap to me, carmina is a bueatiful young woman and sing bueatiful as well. STOP THE DAM HATIN. what ever her grandmother or mother done does not give him the right to kill and yet to kill innocent babys...u r one sick asshole, as a matter a fact im on her friends on fb. i wopuld see her asking for money. i just finished reading her book it was very well written. GROW UP HATER.
i read this book my self and what he done was horrific! how can anyone defend this self absorbed,deciving horible peice of crap. your uncle should die its a shame that he has lived this long and the injection is way to easy! im a catholic woman who lived with a abusive father and believe me when i say they always accuse the woman of cheating even when you know your mother didnt . its a shame. at no time was it ever verified she cheated and as for the girls,looks. my husband has dark hair and brown eyes and a olive complection and my children wound up with blond hair although darken as adults and blue eyes. that is absurd to even sugest they arent his! look at them they all share his features and her smile! he is where he belongs and my only hope is that some other scumbag in there gets to him and makes him suffer long before the needle. good for carmina that she chose to write about her story i pray that she finds peace and security and most of all a loving man to help her progress. she is a surviver and a brave lady . god bless her and keep her safe.
I hear Ramon is now a preacher....
Very interesting hub. Great insights. It's really made me think.
The manner in which you write is often difficult to understand, but one thing that comes through clearly is that you are obviously fascinated by this monster and by his behavior. It is as though you are infatuated with him. Pretty damn sick choice of material and, somehow in a creepy way, of actually defending him.
Not at all. Fascinated only in the sense of how he could so completely lose it and do what he did to his kids.
I had to research this topic in school.
I'm supposed to be reading the book . . . I guess I spoiled the juicy parts by coming here. Oh well I'm glad somebody is taking an interest in this gruesome topic.
I don't care what you say Mexicans make good food, and grow good drugs you ass [bleeps!]
Huh?
He should be killed period...
Jesus, what a bunch of idiots. Salcido deserves a painful. slow and demeaning death at the hands of the general population in the joint and the morons here who justify what he did deserve to live out their obviously miserable lives in the decaying fashion they have lived them so far. Unbelievable that some people can be so stupid.
This man clearly must have had a history of extreme violence. People who have been non violent all of their lives don't just suddenly murder 7 people whether they are on coke or not.
He was seriously disturbed: he sexually assaulted an 8 year old girl - his sister - and cut his own children's throats. It is absurd to use as his defence that 'his wife pushed him over the edge'. What a misogynistic statement.
His wife was planning to leave him - they clearly had a dysfunctional relationship. Why was she leaving him -? probably because of all the beatings she had from him for years and his I would bet his sexual infidelities/ drug use and who knows what else.
He sounds like a classic psychopath.
There are many cocaine addicts/alcoholics and husbands in rocky marriages - most do not resort to killing rampages that include their own children. It took thought and foresight to drive around, stalk down and murder six people - and drive to the dump to discard his daughters' bodies after slitting their throats (a symbolic venue to him obviously). At some level his was thinking quite clearly. Tried and convicted in a court of law for his crimes, he deserves no sympathy or remorse.
I appreciate this hub from a person who actually met and interacted with Ramon Salcido. I remember well when this happened. My mom was living in Sonoma County then.
I didn't understand your remark "Ramon and Carmina may be more similar than she would like. They have the same cold, steel, stone face, which can hide their real feeling well." You did not say much else about her. What do you base this feeling that she is like her father on?
well, I guess it really could apply to anyone. I have talked with Carmina and find her nothing like her Dad, personality wise.
OK, well that's good.
I remember when this happened and I cried when I heard about how he slashed his own daughters' throats. My thought when I heard that Carmina survived was how the trauma was unimaginable and no one could blame her if she would never be able to trust anyone again. I have seen too many people who use drugs or the devil as an excuse for their extremely unpardonable, unforgivable behaviors. I don't believe that drugs can make you do something that you wouldn't already have in yourself to do. They are a magnifier, making you more of what you already are inside. Same with his professed religion. Saw too much of that in my early days as well - people who use religion as a mask to hide the horrible person dwelling within. They use their professed religion to gain others' trust and sympathy, to "prove" they have changed. But, it is only a new vocabulary to play the same game and his actions speak far louder than his new found words ever will.
@maria and @loca tambien should be rounded up as well together with ramon, i guess they have same bloodline as ramon, and from their comments i can note that they express anger and violence similar to what caused their 'idol' over the edge. These 3 people are dangerous. Come to think of it, this story is so heartwrenching, but the comments posted by aforementioned make it worse!....it clearly illustrates how sick and twisted people living amongst us can really be. I don't believe in heaven nor hell, but would sure wish that you'd experience the latter during your remaining living days in this life on earth at least.
This story is just so horrific. Non of this needed to happened no matter who his wife was sleeping with. We are not to judge and God obviously had a plan for Carmina. I saw this story a while back and it just sickened me. Swift Justice needs to be done.
the justice for this crime has not been swift. tragic.
I feel for Carmina. I also agree that drug use is not an excuse for bad behaviour. Drugs are only a symptom of a person's problems. Rather than get help, Ramon sought out to commit an unforgivable crime that shattered the lives of many. And from the interviews I've seen Carmina give of accounts of meeting her father in jail, it seems Ramon has not changed, is delusional, perverted and shows no remorse.
As for all the negative comments about Mexicans on here...I find those to be very ignorant. Should I say that all Americans are dirty, stupid and evil because we've had men like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer or white women who kill their own like Susan Smith? One prolific murderer does not make an example of an entire race and comments like those only make you sound ignorant and racist. Just sayin.
please keep carmina in your prayers and thoughts -the focus should be on her now and her incredible story of survival...god had a plan for her and i'm sure she will fulfill it..and to defend her father for his heinous acts is outrageous...he played judge,jury and executioner and the fact is/was his wife's ALLEGED infidelity..grow up and face the truth..he was and is a monster and definitely deserve the death penalty without delay
I agree.
D'Angel 2 years ago
This "man" forfeited any basic human rights when he carried out the heinous acts that he alone (not any drug) was and is responsoble for. The smugness and self-satisfaction that "he" displayed when "he" was arrested say so much more than any defence lawyer possibly could. The trembling cowardice "he" now displays in attempting to defend "his" actions only serve to confirm the failure that "he" is and always has been. Many people have taken drugs, felt irrational jealousy and doubted themselves. Only the most loathesome and pathetic and cowardly take the path that this "man" has taken. "He" is, as "he" and the whole world ("his" mother and father included) know, a disgraceful waste of space and an embarrassment to our species.
In my heart of hearts I am a moral opponent of the death penalty. But I would have no qualms in personally ending this particular life myself. It is, after all, something that should have occurred over 20 years ago; perhaps on April 13, 1989.