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Maribel Ramos
“Dateline” on NBC continues to set the bar for reporting on genuine crimes. True crime enthusiasts are all too familiar with the fascinating and thorough investigations the program conducts on its subjects. The case of Maribel Ramos is explored on the most recent episode of the program; if you’re interested in learning more, continue reading.
How did Maribel Ramos Meet her Demise?
A veteran of the Iraq War, Maribel Ramos was 36 years old. She was a student at Cal State Fullerton at the time of her passing and was majoring in criminal justice. She was last captured on camera on May 2, 2013, when she went to drop off her Orange, California, apartment’s rent check. After her absence was noticed at multiple functions in Santa Ana the following day, her family filed a missing person report.
Maribel and her roommate had a disagreement about the rent earlier in the day. Paul Lopez, her boyfriend, was also aware of this argument. It’s interesting to note that after arguing with the same roommate on April 23, Maribel called 911 and reported feeling highly scared and sleeping with a machete.
Later, in May, her rotting body was discovered in the Santa Ana Mountains’ Modjeska Canyon. Her cause of death was never established because of how badly decomposed her corpse was, and barbed wire was present. In fact, the very first step in the investigation required the use of dental records to establish her identification.
Who Killed the Veteran?
Kwang Choi “K.C.” Joy, who was 55 at the time, was found guilty of killing Maribel Ramos. Because Joy couldn’t afford to pay the rent, Maribel had asked him to leave the flat following their argument. At this point, according to the prosecution, the murder took place. Additionally, they asserted that Joy had feelings for the dead, but she had not expressed them to her. Evidently, Joy had cruised for the two of them and paid for surgery to make his eyes look younger.
The student was drinking that night and was known to be paranoid, according to Orange County Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons, who said, “I don’t know what it was, but he did something that caused her significant dread.” She was also suicidal and might have passed away from a medical ailment. Simmons, however, asserted that Joy’s actions that evening caused her to become anxious. Adam Vining, his attorney, maintained in court that Joy had nothing to do with Maribel’s passing and that he had just moved her already-dead body.
Authorities were able to find the body thanks to an internet search done on a public library computer. Joy himself was the one who conducted the online search. May 16, 2013, was the date. You know, he had looked up how long it took for a person to decay. Simmons said, “The defendant conducted a virtual drive-by of where he put the body.” He also looked at the spot where he had dumped his roommate’s corpse after reading about a search party for her online. Maribel’s body wasn’t discovered for 45 minutes after that by the police.
The next day, Joy was taken into custody. He had, however, insisted from the start that he had nothing to do with the case. She was his best friend, he claimed, and he would never have mistreated her. Joy also submitted letters of innocence to the judge and Eyewitness News. A request for a new trial, however, was turned down. “He killed my sister, and then he sits there and says he is the person who misses her the most,” the deceased’s sister, Lucero Gonzalez, remarked. It’s repulsive.
In the end, Joy was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder in connection with the death of Maribel Ramos. He was sentenced to 15 years to life in state prison. The family wants me to apologize, but I can’t do that for something I haven’t done, Joy said. Perhaps the truth will eventually surface, or perhaps I’ll simply pass away in custody.
What is Going on with KC Joy also known as the Maribel Ramos Murderer?
Army veteran Maribel Ramos appeared to be making progress in every area. Since she was only a few days away from graduating, she was ready to embark on a new part of her life. Maribel abruptly vanished in May 2013, but it only resulted in catastrophe. The episode of Investigation Discovery’s “See No Evil: The Rent Check” details how the police monitored her roommate’s internet behavior before eventually convicting him of murder. Let’s investigate this case further, shall we?
Born in November 1976, Maribel. She later opted to enlist in the Army since she had always known she wanted to work in law enforcement. Maribel received an honorable discharge in 2008 following eight years of service, which included two tours of duty in Iraq. She had just received her criminal justice degree from California State University, Fullerton at the time of her abduction. The 36-year-old shared a residence with a roommate in Orange, California.
On May 3, 2013, at roughly 10:40 AM, Maribel’s roommate contacted to report that she hadn’t returned home the night before. Her family was soon unable to contact her, so they filed a missing person report. Additionally, she skipped a softball game on May 3. The apartment was searched, but nothing unusual was found. Maribel’s phone and purse were gone, but her car was still there. Then, on May 17, 2013, the police in California explored a secluded region and discovered her dead in a little burial. Dental data allowed for the identification of Maribel. The cause of death could not be determined because the remains were too badly decayed.
By reviewing Maribel’s phone records, the detectives discovered that on the night she vanished, she had spoken to her lover, Paul Lopez. While claiming to be at work that evening, Paul brought up the argument Maribel was having with her roommate Kwang Chol “KC” Joy. It had to do with him not being able to make rent that month. By the following day, Maribel wanted KC out of the house.
On May 2, at about 8:30 p.m., Maribel dropped off the rent check at the front desk after speaking with Paul on the phone, as shown on surveillance footage from the apartment complex. Maribel was last spotted alive at this point. According to the program, when KC was questioned, he acknowledged quarreling with Maribel but claimed that he left the house for a drive at around nine o’clock while she was still there. KC said she had left when he returned. However, there was no proof linking him to Maribel’s disappearance, according to the authorities.
When speaking to the media, KC cooperated with the police and begged for Maribel’s safe return. He insisted that he had nothing to do with her disappearance before adding, “I simply want her back. Since she is my best friend, I need her to return. The cops noticed scratches on his arm, but KC insisted they were caused by thorns bushes at a nearby park because she is actually his only friend and family member. Maribel contacted 911 around 11 days before her disappearance and said that she was afraid of her roommate following a discussion with KC.
KC frequently went to the neighborhood library to browse the internet and use the computers there because his phone and laptop were being examined by the cops. During one of these visits, the officials kept an eye on his online behavior. This action revealed a significant case lead. KC used maps to observe a lonely area in Modjeska Canyon and, among other things, looked up the duration of a body’s disintegration. After about 45 minutes of searching, the police discovered Maribel’s remains.
KC, aged 55, was on trial for Maribel’s slaying in July 2014. The prosecution claimed that KC killed his roommate as a result of a rent dispute between the two. They also asserted that KC had feelings for Maribel. On the other hand, Maribel allegedly struggled with paranoia and had suicidal thoughts, according to KC’s defense. They went on to say that Maribel might have committed suicide or suffered from a medical problem, leaving KC in a frenzy to dispose of the body.
KC was ultimately declared guilty of second-degree murder. He stated, “Family wants me to apologize, but I cannot apologize for something I haven’t done,” before to receiving his sentence. In September 2014, KC received a sentence of 15 years to life in jail. “Maybe someday [the] truth will come out, maybe I’ll just die inside prison,” he said. According to prison records, he is still detained at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California. In February 2023, KC will be eligible for parole.
The Conviction of KC Joy
In an effort to impress his roommate Maribel Ramos, who was discovered dead in a shallow grave in California, the prosecution claimed Joy even went so far as to undergo cosmetic surgery.
Maribel Ramos had no idea that KC Joy, the person who responded to her ad for a roommate to share her Orange County house, would ultimately be found guilty of her murder.
A 36-year-old Cal State Fullerton student and former US Army soldier named Maribel Ramos vanished in 2013. Authorities believed Kwang Chol “KC” Joy, her roommate of 18 months, was involved. According to ABC 7, they followed his whereabouts and found a small burial in Silverado Canyon. They discovered Ramos’s body there but owing to decomposition it was impossible to ascertain the cause of death.
The duo reportedly had a heated argument about Joy not paying the rent at their Fullerton apartment.
Last year on Oxygen, a three-part Dateline program titled “Dateline: Unforgettable” focused on Ramos’s disappearance and murder. The “Worst Roommate Ever” Netflix series is now revisiting the case.
He responded to Ramos’ Craigslist request for a roommate with, “I am a Korean, single, professional male.” “Your property sounds ideal. I’m searching for a modest apartment or private room with access to a kitchen. Yorky [sic], a 10 lb dog, is mine. I am straight, a social drinker, and I like to keep things tidy. I am affable and get along with the majority of people.
Joy asserted his Tennessee birthplace and stated his intention to get employment in California.
In May 2013, Ramos was last seen on security footage delivering a rent check to her property management. According to the prosecution, Ramos attempted to evict Joy for failing to pay the rent earlier in the day.
Joy declared to ABC 7 in an exclusive interview, “She is my best friend.” In actuality, she is the only friend and relative I have.
According to NBC Los Angeles, investigators think that Ramos, who had rebuffed his approaches, was the object of Joy’s infatuation. Joy even paid for Maribel to go on a cruise and underwent cosmetic surgery to make himself more attractive to his roommate.
In his closing remarks at Joy’s murder trial, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Scott Simmons stated, “Maribel was his life.” And his chance to spend time with his lifelong partner was about to expire.
According to ABC 7, authorities monitored Joy’s online activity while she was at the Orange County Public Library. Information about the breakdown of the human body was found through searches. Joy came across a Facebook post about a Ramos family-organized awareness walk on May 16, 2013. Joy focused her search on a location for the stroll along Santiago Canyon and Jackson Ranch roads using a satellite map.
It was there that Orange Police eventually discovered Ramos’s body.
KC Joy maintains his innocence despite having been found guilty and receiving a state prison term of 15 years to life. And his chance to spend time with his lifelong partner was about to expire.
He claimed during his sentencing, “I miss Maribel more than anyone.” “I consider it. I’ve been incarcerated for around 440 days. I virtually always think about her.
According to ABC 7, Joy wrote a number of emails to the judge and local media sites claiming his innocence and announcing his intention to publish a book with the working title “Suspect, Guilty Until Proven Innocent.”
Joy stated, “Family wants me to apologize, but I cannot apologize for something I have not done.” Maybe the truth will eventually surface, or maybe I’ll just pass away in jail.
According to jail records, Kwang Chol Joy, who is currently 63 years old, is still incarcerated in the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, California. This spring, he can apply for parole.
KC Joy is sentenced to 15 Years to Life in Prison for the Murder of Maribel Ramos
K.C., an Orange inhabitant For the 2013 slaying of her roommate Maribel Ramos, Joy was given a 15-year to a life term in a state prison on Friday. In Silverado Canyon, a small burial containing her body was discovered.
In July, Kwang Chol Joy, 55, was found guilty of one count of second-degree murder in the death of Ramos, 36, a citizen of the United States. A veteran of the Army who completed two combat deployments in Iraq and a current Cal State Fullerton student. According to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, between May 2 and May 3, 2013, Joy killed Ramos and dumped her body in the canyon.
On May 2, 2013, Joy and Ramos got into a fight over rent. Ramos informed Joy that he wasn’t paying his rent, therefore he should leave their shared Fullerton home. On surveillance footage from that evening, Ramos was last seen leaving her property manager’s office with a rent check. When she failed to show up for festivities the following night, friends reported her missing.
After seeing a Facebook post about an “awareness walk” for Ramos, Joy performed online research on human body decay on May 16, 2013, at the Orange Public Library, and used a satellite map to zoom in on a location close to Santiago Canyon and Jackson Ranch roads. This, according to the OCDA’s Office. Later that day, Orange Police detectives examined the designated area and discovered Ramos’s body.
Ramos’s body was in such a state of decomposition that the cause of death was never identified. May 17 saw the arrest of Joy.
Before Friday’s punishment was handed down, members of Ramos’ family sobbed in the courtroom. A family member testified in court that “Mr. Joy has to be thrown away for life. He is a nasty man and a coward that should never be forgiven.”
Ramos allegedly did not share Joy’s feelings for him, despite the accusations made by the prosecution.
Joy testified in court that she misses Maribel more than anybody else. “I think about it—I’ve been here about 440 days in the jail—almost every day,” she said.
Joy defended his innocence just before Friday’s sentencing hearing. His application for a new trial was turned down.
I can’t apologize for something I haven’t done, yet family wants me to, Joy stated. “Perhaps the truth will come out one day, or perhaps I’ll just pass away in jail.”
Joy assured the judge in numerous letters that he was innocent. He expressed the same sentiment in a letter to Eyewitness News on Sunday. Joy revealed in a letter to Eyewitness News that he is the author of the book “Suspect, Guilty Until Proven Innocent.”
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