Ramon Alejandre Jr described as a "hard-core, veteran Sureno." on trail
Contra Costa prosecutor Monday asked jurors to convict a West County gang member of first-degree murder in the death of a 15-year-old San Pablo boy gunned down last year because he was wearing a rival's color. The case against Ramon Alejandre Jr., 31, hinges on testimony by two junior gang members who were in a truck with the defendant when they saw De Anza High School freshman Ivan Santos walking home on 11th Street on Feb. 2, 2007, after buying a soda at a neighborhood store. Believing Santos' red pajama pants signified he was in a rival gang, Alejandre got out of the truck and walked toward the boy, firing a .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun, deputy district attorney Aron DeFerrari said. Santos, whose parents told the Times last year was not a gang member, was hit nine times and died on the sidewalk.The two other people in the truck, Roberto Garcia, Alejandre's 22-year-old nephew, and Juan Vargas, 19, pleaded no contest to being accessories after the fact and were senten...