Left inset: Scotty Goble (Smith County Sheriff’s Office). Right inset: Heriberto “Eddie” Ramirez Jr. (All Families Memorial Services). Background: The scene outside Junior’s Taqueria in Tyler, Texas, after Scotty Hoble shot and killed co-owner Heriberto “Eddie” Ramirez Jr. in the parking lot in October 2024 (KLTV).
A Texas man is heading to prison for gunning down a co-owner of a taqueria who confronted him in the parking lot over a slammed door while he was with his 9-month-old daughter and two sons — with the father shooting him dead because he felt threatened after a fight broke out, prosecutors say.
Scotty Goble, 54, of Smith County, was convicted Monday of murder for the October 2024 killing of Heriberto “Eddie” Ramirez Jr., 38, at Junior’s Taqueria in Tyler, according to local CBS affiliate KYTX. He was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Tuesday.
Goble reportedly entered a not guilty plea on Aug. 26 and argued self-defense at his trial last week, with his own son testifying on his behalf. Police accused Goble of starting an argument over a drink order, which trickled out into the parking lot after one of Goble’s two sons who was with him slammed a door while leaving after having some tacos for lunch.
Ramirez and his brother, Edgar Ramirez, followed the family outside and a fight broke out, with Goble claiming that Eddie Ramirez threatened to kill him and his sons, as well as his daughter — who was in a baby carrier, according to prosecutors. Goble placed the carrier down near the entrance of the taqueria before getting into the fight and opening fire on Ramirez.
His son, Justin Goble, who was allegedly punched during the fight, testified that his dad was laying on the ground and being beaten when he fired.
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“I was terrified,” Justin Goble told the court. “This guy [Ramirez] is like twice my size … to be completely honest, I was looking for a gun. Just in case they were just beating him to a pulp.”
According to jurors, Goble acted in “sudden passion” and he was found guilty after three hours of deliberation of second-degree murder. per KYTX. His sentencing range was from two to 20 years, as opposed to the five to 99 years to life in prison he was originally facing after being charged with first-degree murder, KYTX reports.
Ramirez’s wife, Amanda Ramirez, testified about how his surviving children reacted — including two of his daughters, ages 6 and 9 — after finding out what happened.
“Not daddy! What do you mean?!” the girls screamed, according to Amanda Ramirez. “It was the worst thing I’ve had to do in my entire life — to tell my babies their daddy died,” Amanda Ramirez testified. “He didn’t deserve that. We didn’t deserve that.”
Asked by local ABC affiliate KTRE to give her thoughts on Goble’s sentence, Amanda Ramirez said: “I don’t feel like justice was served. That’s not enough. Even if he would’ve gotten life, that still would’ve never been enough for me. Because nothing is going to bring my husband back. We have to live the rest of our lives with pain and misery without Eddie.”
