Preliminary hearing set for man accused of hate crime killing

A Nov. 4 preliminary hearing was scheduled Tuesday for a Thermal resident accused of killing a 20-year-old man because of his sexual orientation.

Miguel Angel Bautista Ramirez, 25, of Thermal, was arrested July 28 in Coachella for the shooting of Juan Ceballos in Mecca on July 13. A bail hearing will also be held Nov. 4. A judge will rule at the preliminary hearing if there is enough evidence for Ramirez — who is being held without bail — to stand trial.

The criminal complaint filed July 30 charging Ramirez with murder includes a hate crime allegation that Ramirez killed Ceballos “because of a bias against the victim’s sexual orientation.” An amended complaint was filed Aug. 1 with broader language that includes sexual orientation, disability, nationality and race.

Ramirez also faces a special circumstance allegation of lying in wait and committing a hate crime. He is potentially eligible for the death penalty or life imprisonment without parole if convicted.

News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2 spoke to Juan’s family in August. They said Juan was the son of a farm worker and the eldest of five children. Ceballos was bisexual, according to his 17-year-old brother Sergio Ceballos. The College of the Desert student worked two jobs; at TA of America gas station and at Pizza Hut.

His brother Sergio said he was shot several times in his car outside of their apartment on Dale Kiner Road. He died bringing dinner home to their family.

“He was coming home from work. He had pizza,” said Sergio Ceballos. “He was messaging me. As soon as he parked it happened.”

“Come outside” was the last text message Sergio got from his older brother. Seconds later Sergio heard two gunshots.

“I ran out to check on him, but he was already dead,” Sergio said. “He worked hard to pay bills. He went to school. He wanted a future and career.”

“He was a happy person and tried to guide his siblings to do good in life,” said Maria Teresa Mendez, Juan’s mother.

The Riverside County District Attorney’s Office is not commenting about the facts of the case or a possible motive for the killing, spokesman John Hall has said.

Riverside County sheriff’s deputies were called to the 65-000 block of Dale Kiler Road in Mecca shortly before midnight July 13 and found Ceballos with several gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene, sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Erickson said.