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Ramon Salcido

(Redirected from Ramon Salcido murder spree)

Ramón Bojórquez Salcido (born March 6, 1961) is a Mexican convicted murderer who is currently on death row in San Quentin State Prison.[2] He was convicted for a spree killing that took place on the night of April 14, 1989, in Sonoma County, California, in which he murdered six female family members, including his wife and two of their daughters, and a male co-worker.[3]

Ramon Salcido
Born
Ramon Bojorquez Salcido

(1961-03-06) March 6, 1961 (age 65)
Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Mexico
OccupationWinery worker
ConvictionsFirst degree murder with special circumstances (6 counts)
Second degree murder
Attempted murder (2 counts)[1]
Criminal penalty
Sentenced to death
Details
DateApril 14, 1989
LocationsSonoma and Cotati, California, United States
Killed7
Injured2
WeaponsKnife
Ruger .22-caliber handgun

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, the murders were the subject of several documentaries. The surviving daughter, Carmina Salcido, authored the 2009 memoir "Not Lost Forever" about the killings and her later life.[4][5][6][7]

Sonoma County murders

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On April 14, 1989, after a night of drinking and snorting cocaine, Ramon Salcido drove his three young daughters to a county dump outside of Sonoma, California. Salcido slashed their throats, and threw them into a ditch. Two of them, four-year-old Sofia and 22-month-old Teresa were killed, while three-year-old Carmina survived with a slashed throat and rescued hours later.[8] According to an autopsy report, the girls had all been molested prior to being cut.[9] [10]

Salcido then drove to Cotati, California, where he killed his mother-in-law and her two daughters by slashing their throats as well, with one of them being almost decapitated.[11] He then returned to his home in Boyes Hot Springs, where he shot his wife, Angela Salcido, in the head twice, in the shoulder once, and missed with three other bullets.[12]

Salcido then went to the Grand Cru winery, his place of employment, where he killed a co-worker, Tracey Toovey, by shooting him three times in the head and once in the arm.[13][12] He then drove to the house of Kenneth Butti, another co-worker, and shot him in the right shoulder.[14][15]

Arrest

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Salcido fled after the killings to Mexico via Calexico. He was arrested in Guasave, Mexico, on April 19, 1989. When arrested, Salcido told police that he committed the murders because of financial difficulties, suspicions that his wife was having an affair with his coworker Tracy Toovey, and supposed mistreatment at his workplace.[16][17][18] He also alleged that his in-laws made derogatory remarks against him for being Mexican.[19]

Victims

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  • Ángela Salcido, 24, wife of Ramon Salcido
  • Sofía Salcido, 4, daughter of Angela Salcido
  • Carmina Salcido, 3, daughter of Angela Salcido (survived)
  • Teresa Salcido, 1, daughter of Angela Salcido
  • Marion Louise Richards, 47, mother of Angela Salcido
  • Ruth Richards, 12, daughter of Marion Richards
  • Maria Richards, 8, daughter of Marion Richards
  • Tracy Toovey, 35, winemaster at Grand Cru winery
  • Kenneth Butti, 33, supervisor at the winery (survived)

Trial

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Salcido's trial had been moved out of Sonoma County due to extensive news coverage of the case. On October 30, 1990, Salcido was found guilty by a jury of six counts of first-degree murder, one count of second-degree murder, and two counts of attempted murder.[20][21][22] On November 16, 1990, Salcido was sentenced by a jury to the death penalty. Marteen Miller, Salcido's attorney, contended that his client was under the influence of cocaine and alcohol during the slayings. The defense had sought a verdict of second-degree murder or manslaughter under the circumstance that the drugs had put Mr. Salcido in a state of psychotic depression when the rampage began.[8][23]

Media

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Some media reports blamed macho culture for the murders, which has been characterized as cultural stereotyping of Latinos.[24][25]

Investigation Discovery portrayed the Ramon Salcido case in the docudrama series "Evil I", episode: "Killer in the Sun", originally aired 2012.[26]

The investigative reporting series ABC's 20/20 features exclusive interviews with survivor Carmina Salcido; the episode is titled 'What Happened to Carmina", originally aired in October 2009.[27][28]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ "Salcido convicted of wine country killing spree". United Press International. October 30, 1990. Retrieved January 26, 2026.
  2. ↑ (CDCR), California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. "State of California Inmate Locator". inmatelocator.cdcr.ca.gov. Archived from the original on July 12, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2017. Enter (a) CDCR#: E79901 or (b) Last/First Name: Salcido, Ramon; to search for inmate
  3. ↑ Daughter Confronts Ramon Salcido, Father Who Left Her for Dead
  4. ↑ "Survivor of Marin County's worst mass murder visits family's graves". ABC7 San Francisco. April 15, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Carmina Salcido prepares for book signings". The Press Democrat. October 15, 2009.
  6. ↑ "Carmina Salcido, Whose Father Murdered Her Family, Has 'American Idol' Hopes". ABC News. February 10, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Nearly killed by her father in 1989, Carmina Salcido faces new crisis". Petaluma Argus-Courier. April 14, 2014.
  8. 1 2 "KILLER OF 7 GETS PENALTY OF DEATH". New York Times. November 17, 1990. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  9. ↑ Thompson, Emily G. (November 22, 2019). "The Survival of Carmina Salcido • Morbidology". Retrieved October 29, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  10. ↑ Petty, Bonnie. Cotati’s day of infamy lives on in new book, The Community Voice, October 22, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Vengeance Called Motive : Death Spree Suspect's Life Was Unraveling". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 1989. Retrieved October 27, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  12. 1 2 "People v. Salcido - 44 Cal.4th 93 original opinion 44 Cal.4th 1262a modification S018814 - Mon, 06/30/2008 | California Supreme Court Resources". scocal.stanford.edu. Retrieved October 28, 2025.
  13. ↑ Salcido tape tells how murder rampage began, Los Angeles Times, September 16, 1989.
  14. ↑ Archives, L. A. Times (April 14, 1989). "STATE : Winery Worker Kills His Wife and 4 Others". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 27, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  15. ↑ "Ramon Salcido's murder spree shocked Sonoma County 35 years ago". The Press Democrat. April 11, 2024. Retrieved October 29, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  16. ↑ Man wanted in the killing of 7 is arrested in Mexico, New York Times, April 20, 1989.
  17. ↑ "Carmina Salcido discharged from hospital". UPI. SANTA ROSA, Calif: United Press International, Inc. May 10, 1989. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  18. ↑ Wilkinson, Tracy (April 18, 1989). "Marriage of Salcidos Torn by Money Woes". Los Angeles Times.
  19. ↑ "Vengeance Called Motive : Death Spree Suspect's Life Was Unraveling". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 1989.
  20. ↑ "EX-WINERY WORKER GUILTY IN KILLING SPREE". The Washington Post.
  21. ↑ "Salcido Guilty in Wine Country Killings". Los Angeles Times. October 31, 1990.
  22. ↑ "California winery worker convicted on 7 murder counts".
  23. ↑ Egelko, Bob (July 1, 2008). "Death penalty upheld for man who killed family". SFGate. SONOMA COUNTY, CA: Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  24. ↑ "1996 National Victim Assistance Academy". Office for Victims of Crimes.
  25. ↑ Outbursts in Academe: Multiculturalism and Other Sources of Conflict. 1998. ISBN 978-0867094770.
  26. ↑ "Episode Guide : Evil I : Killer in the Sun". Investigation Discovery. Discovery Communications, LLC. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  27. ↑ "Sonoma County murder spree survivor Carmina Salcido appears on 20/20". ABC7 San Francisco. SAN FRANCISCO, CA. October 16, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  28. ↑ "20 20 On Id What Happened To Carmina". World News. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
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