Border Patrol agents sentenced to prison.U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos Ignacio "Nacho" Ramos is a former United States Border Patrol Agent, who shot an unarmed illegal alien and drug smuggler on the United States–Mexico border. He was convicted of causing serious bodily injury, assault with a deadly weapon, discharge of a firearm in relation to and Jose Compean José Alonso Compeán is a former United States Border Patrol Agent, convicted of shooting at an unarmed illegal alien drug smuggler on the United States–Mexico border on February 17, 2005 and "obstructing justice by willfully defacing the crime scene". were each sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for wounding a drug smuggler. The incident occurred last year when the two agents pursued the smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, who was trying to make it back across the border from the El Paso El Paso (ĕl pă`sō), city (1990 pop. 515,342), seat of El Paso co., extreme W Tex., on the Rio Grande opposite Juárez, Mex.; inc. 1873. sector into Mexico. During the pursuit, Ramos, after finding a bloodied Compean lying on the ground from a struggle with Aldrete-Davila, shot at the smuggler, believing him to be armed. Aldrete-Davila got across the border to a waiting van, but, as it turned out, was wounded. For their split-second decisions during their 15-minute pursuit of the drug smuggler, the two agents were convicted in a trial where important evidence was withheld from the jury, and where the dubious testimony of the smuggler, who was granted immunity by the U.S. government, was used against them. On October 19 of this year, Ramos was sentenced to 11 years in prison and Compean to 12 years. However, the agents have been allowed to remain free on bond until January 17, when they must report to prison. The agents were hoping to stay out of prison during their appeal, and family members said the fight is not over. "It's going to be step by step," the El Paso Times The El Paso Times is the primary English-language newspaper for the U.S. city of El Paso, Texas. The paper was founded in 1881 by Marcellus Washington Carrico. It originally started out as a weekly but within a year's time, it became the daily newspaper for the frontier town. quoted Ramos' brother Hector Ramos as saying. "The first step is going to get him home. It's a process." The El Paso Times story about the sentencing also noted that the judge "denied the defense's motion for a new trial motion for a new trial n. a request made by the loser for the case to be tried again on the basis that there were significant legal errors in the way the trial was conducted and/or the jury or the judge sitting without a jury obviously came to an incorrect result. on the basis that three jurors said they were misled by the jury foreman and voted guilty because they thought they were not allowed to have a hung jury." The available public evidence indicates that agents Ramos and Compean are victims of a gross miscarriage of justice A legal proceeding resulting in a prejudicial out-come. A miscarriage of justice arises when the decision of a court is inconsistent with the substantive rights of a party. by the U.S. government. Their story is told in much greater detail in William E Jasper's article "Betrayed in the Line of Duty In the Line of Duty may refer to:
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