Jun 27, 2008 5:15 pm US/Pacific
Gang Member Arraigned In SF Road Rage Murders
SAN FRANCISCO (BCN) ―
A suspected gang member accused in the slaying of a San Francisco father and two of his sons on Sunday was formally charged with three counts of murder Friday but postponed entering a plea.
Edwin Ramos, 21, of El Sobrante, appeared in San Francisco Superior Court for the first time since his arrest early Wednesday.
Dressed in a red jail uniform, his dark hair shaved displaying an abstract tattoo on the back of his head, Ramos listened with his head down and hands folded gently in front of him, as Judge Henry Ramsey took several minutes to read a litany of charges.
Ramos gazed back once at a media-filled courtroom, revealing a small, white, crescent-shaped scar on the left of his forehead, before being told by a sheriff's deputy to turn back around.
Prosecutors have charged Ramos with three counts of murder and multiple special allegations involving gang membership, firearm use and multiple murders that could result in life in prison without parole or the death penalty. However, District Attorney Kamala Harris has previously pledged not to seek the death penalty in San Francisco during her tenure.
On Sunday afternoon, police found Tony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, shot inside their car just after 3 p.m. near the intersection of Maynard and Congdon streets in the city's Excelsior District, according to police.
Tony and Michael Bologna were pronounced dead at the scene. Matthew Bologna was rushed to San Francisco General Hospital, but was removed from life support Tuesday, police reported.
Though an investigation is still ongoing, police have stated the shooting occurred after a traffic altercation involving Bologna's car and as many as three people in another car.
Ramos is believed to have fired the shots from the other car, a Chrysler 300 series that police recovered at Ramos' residence. Ramos, who is being held on a no-bail status, is scheduled to reappear in court July 3 to enter a plea.
Outside the courtroom, Ramos' attorney Joseph O'Sullivan would not reveal what he has talked about with his client, but offered, "In my discussions with him, I feel comfortable with the case."
"I don't think they can ever prove he shot these people," he said, adding that his "heart goes out" to the family of the victims.
Of police and prosecutors' contention that Ramos is a member of the notorious MS-13 street gang, O'Sullivan said, "They probably can associate him with a gang."
"But they don't carry membership cards," he added.
O'Sullivan described Ramos as "quiet, unassuming, pensive, just overwhelmed. He doesn't have bravado. He's not like a normal gang member."
Memorial funds have been established for those wishing to contribute to the Bologna family.
One has been set up by the family under Anthony Bologna Children's Fund, Washington Mutual Bank, 845 Laurel St., San Carlos, Calif., 94070.
Another has been set up by Draeger's market in San Mateo, where Anthony Bologna worked as a night manager for 12 years, under Anthony Bologna Memorial Fund, Comerica Bank, Main Branch, 350 Lytton Ave., Palo Alto, Calif., 94301.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)
