An Omaha man in prison for killing two people in a gang-related string of robberies as a teenager got more time Wednesday for stabbing two corrections officers and trying to assault a third.
Eric Ramirez, now 34, pleaded no contest to two counts of second-degree assault and one count of attempted second-degree assault for the assault at the Reception and Treatment Center in Lincoln on May 31, 2023.
"But for the grace of God, the injuries were not more serious," his attorney, Brett McArthur, said.
He said Ramirez deeply regrets his actions and stressed it hadn't been planned. Ramirez and two other inmates had been drinking alcohol because it was one's birthday.
"It just happened and, because of his intoxication, he didn't respond appropriately," McArthur said.
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He said Ramirez already is being punished for it. He lost goodtime credit and is housed in solitary confinement under a designation referred to as "limited property," in a small room with no TV or writing materials and limited clothes.
"It's just him in a room and that's about it," McArthur said.Â
He said Ramirez at this point doesn't know if he's ever going to get out of prison and asked the judge for a sentence that "gives him some light at the end of the tunnel."
Chief Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Chris Turner called it a very serious assault on corrections officers who were just doing their jobs trying to maintain the safety of the entire facility.
He said while Ramirez was under the influence, he had made a purposeful decision and his actions were significant. Ramirez had a weapon and chased one of the officers before stabbing two others.Â
"There are lasting consequences for those individuals," Turner said.
In all, the assault left five officers injured.
The Nebraska State Patrol initially booked Ramirez, Jonathan Gonzalez Salas, 23, and John Meyers, 41, on suspicion of attempted murder.
But the three, now all at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution, ultimately pleaded to felony assault charges.
Ramirez was the last to be sentenced.
Lancaster County District Judge Matthew Mellor said not only had he put the facility at risk, but he also severely injured multiple officers.
"This was a very violent situation," he said, sentencing him to 58 to 70 years.
It's an effective life sentence when added to the 128- to 180-year term Ramirez already is serving for shooting and killing 22-year-old Luis Fernando-Silva and 27-year-old Tari Glinsmann in a gang-related string of robberies in Omaha in 2008 at the age of 17.Â
Last month, Mellor sentenced Meyers to 48 to 54 years on top of a 45- to 60-year sentence for manslaughter, robbery and other charges in Douglas County, including a 20-year term for taking part in the killing of Jose Quintero at a home in Omaha in 2012.
And he sentenced Gonzalez Salas to 15 to 17 years, consecutive to a 14- to 20-year sentence for second-degree assault and a weapon charge in Saline County.
