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Man convicted in 2015 revenge killing on D.C. highway

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Man convicted in 2015 revenge killing on D.C. highway


For weeks in 2015, it appeared that a Virginia man who had been fatally shot while driving on Interstate 295 was the victim of road rage. That was what D.C. police thought at the time.

The victim, 50-year-old Pedro Melendez-Alvarado, was killed after a traffic altercation in Northern Virginia, police said. They said the assailant followed Melendez-Alvarado’s black Chevrolet Trailblazer across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and then north on I-295.

Then in 2017, D.C. homicide detectives said, they learned that Melendez-Alvarado had been targeted in an elaborate revenge plot allegedly carried about by 34-year-old Oscar Ramos.

On Monday, after a two-week trial in D.C. Superior Court, Ramos was convicted of first-degree murder while armed in Melendez-Alvarado’s slaying. Prosecutor Michael Liebman said Ramos had come to the United States from El Salvador on a mission: to take revenge on Melendez-Alvarado for allegedly killing Ramos’s father years ago.

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On the interstate that morning on May 28, 2015, police said, a driver pulled alongside Melendez-Alvarado’s vehicle and opened fire, killing him.

Authorities say detectives flew to El Salvador and investigated Ramos’s assertions but found no evidence that Melendez-Alvarado had been involved in the slaying of Ramos’s father.

Prosecutors told jurors that Ramos bragged about avenging his father’s death and killing Melendez-Alvarado. He posted about it on social media and boasted to others. During trial, prosecutors displayed Ramos’s social media posts and called witnesses to the stand who testified that Ramos had told them that he killed Melendez-Alvarado.

Prosecutors said Ramos, who relocated from El Salvador and lived in various homes in Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts, created a fake Facebook account posing as a Latina woman and flirted with Melendez-Alvardo to find out his whereabouts.

Liebman told the jury that Ramos “used this account to lure Mr. Ramos to his death.”

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Rachel E. McCoy and Camille Wagner, Ramos’s attorneys, argued that their client was innocent and that police had arrested the wrong person. They told jurors there was no direct evidence, including no witnesses, security camera video or DNA.

Ramos’s attorneys were successful in ensuring that jurors were not made aware that Ramos was affiliated with the MS-13 gang. Judge Maribeth Raffinan agreed that because prosecutors said the motive had nothing to do with the gang, evidence of Ramos’s affiliation would be prejudicial.

Ramos is scheduled to be sentenced on July 12.



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Washington, D.C

North Dakota National Guard Being Sent to D.C.

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North Dakota National Guard Being Sent to D.C.


(Photo courtesy of North Dakota National Guard. via the North Dakota Monitor)

 

(North Dakota Monitor) – North Dakota will send 60 National Guard members to Washington, D.C., starting in April, for an estimated three months to help police the city.

The move is in support of President Donald Trump’s August executive order declaring an emergency in D.C. The president said assistance from states is necessary to address what he described as rampant crime in the nation’s capital.

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“Safeguarding the citizens, federal workers and elected leaders in our nation’s capital is a matter of national security, and we appreciate these Soldiers volunteering for this important mission,” Gov. Kelly Armstrong said.

Most of the 60 North Dakota members will come from the 131st Military Police Battalion, based in Bismarck, according to the announcement.



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Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets

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Thousands turn out – again – as third 'No Kings' rallies take over Maryland streets


Thousands turned out at the dozens of No Kings rallies scattered across Maryland, part of the millions expected across the country for the third such event. In Maryland, turnout was particularly heavy in Hagerstown, near a proposed ICE detention facility.



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WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC

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WATCH LIVE: No Kings march and rally in DC


Thousands are expected gather in Washington, D.C. for a “No Kings” march and rally. 

Here’s everything you need to know:

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What is the No Kings protest?

What we know:

Organized locally by area chapters of Indivisible and allied grassroots groups, the event aims to draw protesters to downtown Washington and surrounding counties to oppose policies of the Trump administration and to voice broader concerns about civil rights and democratic norms.

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No Kings protest details

Timeline:

The march will kick off at 10 a.m., with participants gathering at Memorial Circle near Arlington Cemetery, with additional access from the Blue Line or nearby parking at the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, according to the event organizers. There is no public parking in the immediate area, but participants can be dropped off at the circle.

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From there, the procession will head across the Memorial Bridge into Washington, D.C., passing the Lincoln Memorial and continuing on to the Washington Monument.

At the conclusion of the march, participants can walk to a downtown rally, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Other ‘No Kings’ rallies in the DMV

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Dig deeper:

In addition to the main rally in downtown D.C., several other demonstrations tied to “No Kings 3” are scheduled around the DMV this Saturday.

In Arlington, Virginia, activists are organizing a march across the Memorial Bridge beginning at 10 a.m., with protesters expected to continue into West Potomac Park before joining larger crowds in the District proper, for example. 

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There are hundreds of “No Kings” events scheduled to take place this Saturday throughout the DMV. You can click here to find a list of all of them. 

How to watch No Kings march and rally in DC

What you can do:

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FOX 5 DC will be covering No Kings in D.C. all day on FOX LOCAL and in the liveplayer at the top of this story. 

FOX 5 DC is available to watch for free on Roku, Amazon FireTV, Apple TV, Google Android TV and Vizio with the FOX LOCAL app. Here’s how to download FOX LOCAL on your mobile phone. 

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