Victor Lira, of Eloy, was sentenced today to a term of 19 years at the Arizona Department of Corrections following his plea of guilty to manslaughter in the death of Isaura Ramirez which occurred at her home in Eloy on August 12th, 2005.
Chief William Pitman of the Eloy Police Dept., & James P. Walsh County Attorney observed that the sentencing brings to an end of a 2 year co-operative effort involving the Eloy Police Dept., investigators from the Pinal County Attorney’s Office & prosecutor, Kate Pierce.
The body of Ms. Ramirez was found in her trailer in Eloy by her mother who had become concerned because she did not show up for work. She was lying on the floor where she had apparently bled to death after being stabbed. There was no indication of who had stabbed her or why the incident had occurred.
Approximately 1 year after the death of Ms. Ramirez, detectives of the Eloy Police Department discovered information which led them to Victor Lira. Mr. Lira was charged with 1st degree murder & a trial had been scheduled for Jan. 29th, 2008. Prior to the trial Mr. Lira accepted a plea offer which provided that he would plead guilty to manslaughter.
Chief Pitman & County Attorney Walsh complimented the efforts of the officers & prosecutors in this matter. “The officer’s tenacity in continuing to investigate this matter resulted in an arrest in this case which required almost 10 months to solve”, said Chief Pitman. “They just didn’t give up.”
“This has been a difficult case & Kate Pierce has done an excellent job on the prosecution,” said Walsh. “I am very pleased by the way our 2 agencies have worked together in resolving this case.”