January 20, 2026
Bill Oxford/Unsplash
Mario Ramirez was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the double homicides of Jose Vega and Anthony Torres. He fatally shot both men in Kensington in 2018.
A man who fatally shot two people on a Kensington street corner nearly eight years ago will serve consecutive life sentences in prison, the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office said Tuesday.
Mario Ramirez, 38, of Philadelphia, was convicted in October of killing Jose Vega and Anthony Torres on Aug. 22, 2018. According to court testimony, Ramirez exited his vehicle and shot both men with an assault rifle outside the La Corona Market at H and Thayer streets around 7 p.m. Torres, 23, died at the scene while Vega, 38, died at Temple University Hospital.
Several people, including two young children, were in the area at the time of the shooting.
Surveillance video captured a gold Chevrolet Uplander driving in the area before the shooting occurred. Ramirez was later identified as the driver. His passenger, who also fired shots, has not been charged. The investigation into his involvement is ongoing.
"There's a void that cannot be filled," Torres' family said in an impact statement. "We are broken. With his passing, life just feels empty with nothing to look forward to. His children left without a father, parents without a son, two siblings left without a brother."
Ramirez was arrested in March 2023 and charged with with two counts of first-degree murder and related crimes. Following his week-long trial and conviction last fall, a Philadelphia County judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The attorney general's gun violence task force prosecuted the case.
"For several years, the victims' families and friends have grieved without knowing their loved ones' killer was held accountable," Attorney General Dave Sunday said in a statement. "We hope this sentencing brings them a measure of justice."
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