Salem man gets 15 years in fatal shooting on Cordon Rd
A Salem man was sentenced to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in a road rage incident in southeast Salem in 2024.
Marion County prosecutors initially charged Ismael E. Ventura-Arellano, 23, with second-degree murder in the shooting of Jesus Ramos-Torres, 23, of Salem, who was found dead on Southeast Cordon Road in the early hours of Jan. 25, 2024.
He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter and possessing a firearm as a felon Sept. 11. Marion County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Hart sentenced him Oct. 2 to 10 years for manslaughter and five for the weapon charge.
Hart also sentenced him to three years of post-prison supervision.
A Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a call of gunfire on Southeast Cordon Road and found Ramos-Torres dead in his car from a gunshot wound to the head, according to a filing from prosecutors.
Ten days later, detectives got a tip that Ventura-Arellano and his girlfriend were involved in the shooting. Ventura-Arellano was driving east on State Street with his girlfriend in the passenger seat when he crossed paths with Ramos-Torres. Two other adults and a toddler were in the back of Ventura-Arrellano’s car.
“When Ramos-Torres and (Ventura-Arrellano) turned southbound onto Cordon Road in their respective vehicles, there began a back-and-forth incident of ‘road rage,’” the filing said.
Ventura-Arellano tried to pass Ramos-Torres but was unable to. Ramos-Torres stopped in the middle of Cordon Road and flipped off Ventura-Arrellano. Prosecutors said Ventura-Arellano responded by grabbing his girlfriend’s gun and shooting into the other car, hitting Ramos-Torres.
Defense lawyers argued the trajectory of the bullets indicated Ventura-Arellano’s girlfriend was the likely shooter based on a forensic analysis they commissioned and submitted to the court.
Ventura-Arrellano has been in jail since his arrest on Feb. 5, 2024, on a driving under the influence charge. He also pleaded guilty to that charge Sept. 11 and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, with credit for time served.
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Salem man charged with fatally shooting man found on Cordon Road
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Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers education, economic development and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for over a decade and is a past president of Oregon's Society of Professional Journalists chapter. Outside of work, you can often find her gardening or with her nose buried in a book.
