The family and friends of Roseann Martinez filled the front three rows of the Jackson County Courtroom, as her former boyfriend Ramon Palacios pled guilty to her murder.
In a plea agreement, Palacios pled guilty to Murder, with an affirmative finding of a deadly weapon, a first degree felony, in exchange for a sentence of 50 years in the institutional division of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Palacios was arrested in the early hours of August 9, 2024 after a neighbor called police to report gunshots.
According to police at the time, Palacios confessed to shooting Martinez. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Maria De La Garza, Martinez’s mother, read tearfully from her victim’s impact statement, saying that Roseann’s “absence makes the world feel darker.”
Palacios kept his head down as De La Garza described Martinez as her best friend, and spoke of the effects of not having her daughter in her life, saying “we are forever robbed of hearing her laughter, and seeing her beautiful smile.”
De La Garza also stated that despite her pain she forgives Palacios, “because I know that Roseann has already forgiven him.”
As part of his plea agreement, Palacios waived his right to appeal, and is banned from contacting any of Martinez’s family members during or following his sentence.
He was remanded to the custody of the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office to await transfer to TDCJ.
