SAN ANGELO— A Carlsbad man has been indictedin the February shooting death of Sterling Mickey Riley, 25, according to court documents.
On Feb. 15, 2020, the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office responded to a home in the 11500 block of Marshall Street in Carlsbad. A deputy found Riley lying partially in the yard and street in front of a home, according to an arrest affidavit. Riley had been shot in the head and chest.
The investigation led to law enforcement arrestingJustin Ray Ramirez on Feb. 16 on suspicion of murder. He remained in Tom Green County Jail in lieu of a $500,000 bond as of 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, May 20, according to online jail records.
An indictment on the murder charge was filed May 12, 2020.
Argument led to shooting
A woman told deputies that her brother, Justin Ray Ramirez, shot her boyfriend, Riley, in the head with a gun. Ramirez and Riley had been arguing when Ramirez pulled out a gun and "fired an entire clip" at Riley, the woman told deputies.
The woman stated that Riley "was dead because of my brother," according to the arrest affidavit. The woman's parents also told deputies they witnessed the shooting.
San Angelo EMS attempted to use an EKG machine on Riley, but it was too late. EMS told the deputies Riley was deceased.
An investigation revealed that Ramirez had fled the area. Later that afternoon, Ramirez wasobserved driving a white2012 Chevy Malibutraveling near Dublin on US Highway 377 with his girlfriend,Cheyenne Taylor Bragdon (Warner), 22, records state.
Woman arrested after revealing gun sale, plans to flee to Canada
Bragdon told officers that she was on her way to work when Ramirez called her and said, "I'm about to go to prison for the rest of my life." She picked him up at their Carlsbad home, where he admitted to killing Riley, according to an arrest affidavit.
Bragdon stated she was forced to go with Ramirez because she "didn't want to be a single mother."
Hertold investigators Ramirez and Bragdon arrived at her Eden home about noon that day. Bragdon told her mother she and Ramirezwere in love and going to Dallas, then Canada, records state.
While leaving Carlsbad, Ramirez sold the firearm used to shoot Riley to Adrian Hernandez Villarreal, 23,at the gas pumps of a San Angelo convenience store on South Bryant Boulevard, Bragdon told investigators, records state.
Texas Rangers spoke with Villarreal andreceived permission to look at his phone, which uncovered 12 images of child p*rnography, with girls ranging from ages 15 to 6 years old, according to the affidavit.
Related:Affidavits: San Angelo man found with p*rn of children as young as 6 during homicide investigation
Texas Rangers arrested Villarreal on suspicion of 12 counts of possession of child p*rnography. He remained in Tom Green County Jail in lieu of a $220,000 bond as of 12:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 20. An indictment had not been filed in that case as of Wednesday, according to online court records.
Bragdon was arrested on suspicion ofhindering apprehension or prosecution on Feb. 19. She is being charged with assisting Ramirez with fleeing the scene of thehomicide, records state. She was released from Tom Green County Jail the next day on a $75,000 bond. An indictment has not been filed as of 1 p.m. Wednesday, according to online court records.
Prior aggravated assault with deadly weapon
A week before Riley was killed, Ramirez had a status report hearing in a 2018 aggravated assault with a deadly weapon case in Tom Green County.
On July 29, 2018, San Angelo police responded to a shots fired call in the 2600 block of Regent Boulevard. A man told officers multiple men assaulted another man and fired a gun. Officers found an injured man with a swollen forehead and lacerations on the top, sides, and back of his head.
The injured man stated that he was assaulted by a group of men on Regent Boulevardafter he asked them to leave his house party. He was punched, kicked and hit with bottles. Another witness told officers a man hit the injured man with a handgun, then fired two shots in the air.
Officers later identified Ramirez as one of the men in the group and the one who had the handgun. He was arrested Aug. 28, 2018 and released on a $25,000 bond that day. The case remains pending and a court date hasn't been set, according to online court records.
Alana Edgin is a journalist covering Crime and Courts in West Texas. Send her a news tip at aedgin@gannett.com. Consider supporting West Texas journalism with a subscription to GoSanAngelo.com.
