Terra Ramirez, who set in motion a drive-by shooting that seriously injured two children, was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison.
Ramirez, 20, was charged after she called two friends and asked them to shoot up the house of a teenager she’d had a conflict with while cruising.
One of those friends, Andreas “Andy” Rubio, walked down the 100 block of Osceola Street, missed his intended target, but sprayed bullets into two other homes – including the house where Celine Venzor, 7, and Kenia Venzor, 13, were sleeping.
Both girls were injured but survived the August 2005 shooting.
“You shouldn’t have done that in the first place because it can hurt more than the person that you’re trying to scare,” Celine told Ramirez during the sentencing.
Kenia told the judge that she has been a strong person all her life but the shooting has made “me become a better person.
“I have been struggling to do it to prove to my parents and myself that I will overcome this tragedy,” she said.
Prosecutor David Karpel said Ramirez was originally charged with six counts of attempted murder and two counts of first-degree assault. He said he agreed to a plea bargain of one count of first-degree assault because Ramirez cooperated and testified against Rubio.
He also thought Ramirez should receive 10 years in prison for instigating the shooting. Rubio was sentenced in August to 180 years.
Staff writer Howard Pankratz can be reached at 303-954-1939 or hpankratz@denverpost.com.
