A San Francisco jury today found Edwin Ramos guilty of murdering a father and two of his sons in an afternoon shooting in the city's Excelsior District in 2008.
Ramos, 25, an alleged MS-13 gang member, was accused of gunning down Anthony Bologna, 48, and his sons Michael, 20, and Matthew, 16, on June 22, 2008, near Congdon and Maynard streets as they drove home from a family outing.
The wife and mother of the victim's sobbed as the verdict was read.
The victims' mother and grandmother, Lena Bologna, sobbed as she told reporters that she kisses pictures of her son and two grandsons every night.
Friends and family of the Bologna family wore t-shirts that raed," Finally Justice is Served."
Ramos' family was also in the courtroom for the verdict. He smiled at family members as he entered the courtroom, but kept his back to them during the reading of the verdict. NBC Bay Area's Jodi Hernandez said he also sobbed quietly with his head down once the verdicts were read and as the judge polled the jurors.
Prosecutors alleged that Ramos shot the Bolognas after mistaking them for rival gang members, and that the killings were in retaliation for a shooting that injured another MS-13 member in San Francisco earlier that day.
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Ramos admitted during the trial that he was driving the Chrysler 300 from which the shots were fired, but said another gang member, Wilfredo "Flaco" Reyes, was the shooter.
A third son who was in the victims' car at the time of the shooting, Andrew Bologna, survived and testified that Ramos was the one who fired the shots and was the only one in the Chrysler.
The jury began deliberating last Wednesday and came back with the verdict this afternoon.
District Attorney George Gascon talked to reporters following the verdict. He said few cases have captured his attention like this one. He said the family was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, adding gang members destroyed a family in a matter of seconds.
"We were seeking justice for the family, seeking justice for the community. It was a complex trial with hundreds of pieces of evidence. I think we all are relieved and we hope this is the beginning of new life for the family," Gascon said.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
