Victim testifies against former Tulare County Sheriff's Sergeant accused of kidnapping and torture

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) – A former Tulare County sheriff's sergeant faced the woman he is accused of kidnapping and torturing in a Visalia courtroom.

Monday's testimony came as Richard Ramirez faces a second trial.

The victim described the moments that led to a 911 call at the corner of McAuliff Street and Walnut Avenue in October of last year.

“He slowly tore the ligaments in my hand by simply pulling too hard,” recalls the then 26-year-old victim.

“As I tried to pull myself up with all the strength in my body, he kept going down and said, 'Oh, does that hurt? That's what you're doing to me,'” the victim recalled.

The victim also claims that Ramirez broke her nose.

“He was screaming nonstop, and at that point I was sitting in the back seat with blood coming out of my nose. He said, 'That's what you get. Look at what you did to yourself. You weren't pretty anyway, but I fixed it for you,'” the victim explained.

Visalia police said a witness was awakened by the victim's cries for help.

“She had heard the woman screaming for him to let her go. He had already slammed her head into the ground and broken her nose and just let her go home,” said Visalia Police Officer Mattos.

The victim says she met Ramirez in April 2023.

She testified that the two were not in a relationship, but that on the night of the attack she asked him for a ride from Tulare to Visalia.

She also says he raped her in the past and threatened her family.

“If I didn't go out to dinner, he threatened to kill my mother, father and siblings, and I felt like I had no choice. Or he would kill me.”

In court, the defense questioned why she accepted a ride home from Ramirez despite previous allegations of violence.

After the hearing, his lawyer declined our request for an interview.

The judge convicted Ramirez of kidnapping, torture and grievous bodily harm.

This means there is enough evidence for a trial.

He is scheduled to appear in court again on September 30.