Superior Court Judge (retired, sitting on assignment) Hector E. Ramon
- Case on record
- 1
- Ended in a killing
- 0
Background
Retired Santa Clara County Superior Court judge appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006; left the active bench in 2019 and has continued to hear cases on assignment. At an October 31, 2025 hearing, released murder defendant Vicente Aguilera-Chavez on his own recognizance — no bail — despite a first-degree murder charge with a gang enhancement, strike offenses before and after the 2017 killing, and a 2022 burglary prison term. The Santa Clara County District Attorney's office filed a motion to reconsider, writing that the court was 'gambling' that the defendant does not pose a risk to public safety. Ramon subsequently released co-defendant Agustin Sandoval on the same terms.
Cases on record
Edu Veliz-Salgado, 21
On June 8, 2017, Veliz-Salgado, 21, was shot to death in the parking lot of Fair Oaks Plaza in Sunnyvale; a 24-year-old companion was wounded. The case went cold until 2024, when Sunnyvale DPS detectives, with help from the Santa Clara County DA, identified Vicente Aguilera-Chavez and Agustin Sandoval. Both were arrested January 9-10, 2025 and charged with murder, alleged to have killed Veliz-Salgado in the name of their gang. At an October 31, 2025 hearing, retired Judge Hector Ramon released Aguilera-Chavez on his own recognizance. The DA's office filed a motion to reconsider warning the court was 'gambling' on public safety. Ramon later released co-defendant Sandoval on the same terms.