South Dakota corrections officials say Joaquin “Jack” Ramos, an inmate long denied parole for the killing of his pregnant fiancée, has died while in state custody.
Ramos was 57. He passed away on March 22 while receiving comfort care at the Mike Durfee State Prison in Springfield. Officials did not release a cause of death.
Ramos was serving a 150‑year sentence for first‑degree manslaughter in the 1994 killing of Debbie Martines in Rapid Valley. The original murder charge was reduced under a plea agreement.
Over the years, Ramos repeatedly sought parole, but the Board of Pardons and Paroles rejected each request—most recently after emotional testimony from Martines’ family and the case’s original prosecutor.
