Jul 21, 2008 7:27 pm US/Pacific
Accused SF Killer's Lawyer Denies Sanctuary Report
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5 / KCBS / BCN) ―
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Edwin Ramos leaves the courtroom after his appearance Monday.
CBS
The attorney for a man accused in the triple slaying of a San Francisco man and two of his sons said Monday he will seek a gag order on the case when his client enters a not guilty plea later this week.
Defense attorney Robert Amparan claimed
recent media reports have damaged 21-year-old Edwin Ramos' ability to receive a fair trial.
"False information is being placed out there," Amparan said to reporters outside of court Monday, singling out the recent disclosure of Ramos' alleged felony juvenile record.
Published reports said city officials tried to protect Ramos from being deported back to El Salvador because of San Francisco's sanctuary policy. Ramos was reportedly one of several juveniles protected years ago.
Mayor Gavin Newsom has since rescinded that policy of not deporting juveniles either accused, or convicted of crimes.
Meantime, Ramos appeared to have a stunned look on his face as he entered a courtroom Monday morning for a brief appearance, and did not acknowledge his wife, who was sitting in the second row.
Judge Lucy McCabe in San Francisco Superior Court postponed a plea entry for Ramos, of El Sobrante, until Wednesday.
Amparan also asked for a hearing at that time on a motion that would bar involved parties from discussing the case publicly.
"Some things have come up," Amparan told McCabe.
Ramos is being held on a no-bail status for the shooting murders of Anthony "Tony" Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, after what police called a "traffic altercation" in San Francisco's Excelsior District on June 22.
Investigators believe Ramos was the shooter and was riding in another car containing as many as three suspects.
Prosecutors have charged Ramos, a suspected member of the Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, street gang, with three counts of murder and multiple special allegations involving gang membership, firearm use and multiple murders.
Amparan called the murders "a horrible incident, but he's not responsible," he said of Ramos. "He's not a gang member."
"The people that know him know that he would never become involved in something like this," Amparan asserted.
Amparan claimed Ramos had actually been involved in "gang abatement" efforts in the community.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
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