Arizona Man Sentenced to 42 Years for Fatally Shooting Ex-Girlfriend at Burger King
A 30-year-old Arizona man, Gerardo Vazquez Alvarez, has been sentenced to 42 years in state prison for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Maria Ledesma-Ramirez, while she was working at a Burger King. The sentencing follows a plea deal in which Alvarez pleaded guilty to reduced charges.
On April 12, 2023, Alvarez entered the Burger King at 19th Avenue and Buckeye Road in Phoenix, placed an order, and waited for Ledesma-Ramirez to appear behind the counter. When she did, he approached and shot her. A teenage co-worker was also critically injured in the shooting. Witnesses reported that both victims were behind the counter and hugging each other when Alvarez opened fire.
Alvarez had initially faced charges of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder but pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, attempt to commit second-degree murder, and felony disorderly conduct with a weapon. The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office confirmed the plea deal and sentencing.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell emphasized the impact of the crime, stating, "The fact that you have two victims just right there is significant. That you’re willing to shoot through a human being to kill another. Now we have two kids that lost their mom at a very young age. The circumstances of the case were just gut-wrenching."
The incident followed an argument between Alvarez and Ledesma-Ramirez about their relationship and their children. After his arrest, Alvarez claimed that he did not intend to kill her and alleged that during their argument, she had told him that killing her was the only way he would ever see his kids again. He also stated that he did not intend to shoot her co-worker, explaining that she was "simply in his way."
Mitchell noted that Ledesma-Ramirez had been fearful that Alvarez would harm their children, a concern that heightened her anxiety before the shooting.
“Not only did a young mother lose her life that night, but multiple young people were also put in harm’s way and will have to live with the trauma of what they saw and heard due to the defendant’s callous actions,” Mitchell said. “In committing this offense, he altered many lives, but most of all, those of his own young children.”
During the sentencing, Ledesma-Ramirez’s parents addressed the court, remembering their daughter as an exemplary mother who deeply cherished her children. “She guarded her children so much because they were her greatest treasure, but now she has left such a huge void in us,” they said.
