Veteran charged for kidnapping, forgiven by victim

Man gets 18 months in kidnapping case
August 20, 2011
By LILA FUJIMOTO - Staff Writer

Ramirez was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan before being honorably discharged after nine years in the Marine Corps. Post-traumatic stress disorder probably contributed to what happened that night, Menor said.

WAILUKU - Saying he wanted to see a defendant get help for unresolved issues of anger, depression and post-combat stress, a judge ordered an 18-month jail term for a man who held a machete to his former girlfriend's throat while keeping her from leaving a Kahului apartment earlier this year.

Francis Ramirez, 27, was placed on five years' probation as part of the sentence imposed Thursday.

He had pleaded no contest to kidnapping, first-degree terroristic threatening and abuse of the woman.

"I could stand up here with hate and anger for what he's done to me and my family," the woman said in court Thursday. "I choose to forgive him and have compassion for him so I can move on.

"But in no way does my forgiveness toward him take away what he's done to me and the memories I have to live with every day of my life and the fear I have to live with. All those hours with the machete and him torturing me . . . thinking I was going to die.

"If he's truly sorry, he will do whatever it takes to get the help he needs so he doesn't do this again to another woman or anybody that loves him."
read more here