Amanda Ramierez sentenced to six years in jail for killing twin sister
A US woman who killed her twin sister amid reports that she was jealous of her being the “prettier one” has sobbed as her family supported her in court.
True Crime
Don't miss out on the headlines from True Crime. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A New Jersey woman who stabbed her twin sister to death during a boozy brawl has been jailed for six years — despite her family begging for her to come home early, insisting it would help them heal the loss.
“This hurts me deeply, but I need her to help me cope,” Bianca Medina, 16, pleaded in Camden County Superior Court as her sister Amanda Ramirez was sentenced for killing twin Anna, according to NJ.com.
The New York Post reports that Bianca insisted the 27-year-old twins had an “unbreakable” bond before Amanda stabbed Anna once in the chest after a heavy night drinking in Camden on June 22.
She told Judge Edward McBride that the family was grieving two losses — one to death and the other in prison, according to the report.
“You hold my sister’s life in your hands, so please be gentle,” she pleaded during the sentencing, NJ.com said.
Another sister, Monica Medina, 19, also addressed the court, pointing out the added heartache for the twins’ children, with Amanda having a two-year-old daughter and Anna three kids. “I’m hoping you can see her in a different light,” the older Medina said as she also asked for leniency, according to the report.
Ramirez’s lawyer, Jordan Zeitz, said it was a desire shared by the whole family, the report said.
“The sentence you are going to impose is going to pale in comparison to the life sentence she’s already serving,” said Zeitz, who blamed post-partum depression for his client’s out-of-character attack.
“We would ask that you follow what the family wants – to get her back to them so they can heal quicker.”
Even prosecutor Peter Gallagher noted the “extraordinary set of circumstances” in the case, the report said.
“The person who took Anna’s life is the person who by all accounts was closer to her than anyone on this planet,” Mr Gallagher told the court.
Initial reports suggested that Ramierez was jealous of her twin because she was the “prettier one”.
Ramirez had pleaded guilty to second-degree manslaughter in September, claiming she does not remember what sparked the fight that ended with her stabbing her sister in the chest.
She broke down in tears as she addressed the court before her sentencing, further begging for her family’s forgiveness.
“I know there’s nothing I can say to justify what I did,” she sobbed.
“I just want to make it clear that I never had intentions of taking my twin sister’s life. If I could take back what I did I would in a heartbeat.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think about my twin. And having to live with the fact that she’s no longer alive is devastating,” she said, with tears running down her face.
“I just want to apologise to my family for putting them through this. I hope that they all can forgive me.”
MORE NEWS
Queen shows support for Andrew
Trump’s 53 minute TV rant on impeachment
Watch Musk’s ‘bulletproof’ truck crack
Judge McBride told the court he believed the killing was an “aberration” for Ramirez — but also noted she had initially lied to police, saying she found her sister stabbed.
She later said her sister died as they struggled over a knife the dead woman brought out, the report said.
His sentence of six years’ prison was higher than the family called for, but at the lower end of the five- to ten-year sentencing range for the second-degree crime.
Ramirez will have to serve five years and one month before being eligible for parole, NJ.com said.
This article originally appeared in the New York Post and is republished here with permission
Originally published as Amanda Ramierez sentenced to six years in jail for killing twin sister