Man charged with murder of Bell Co. deputy sentenced to prison
BELL COUNTY, Texas (FOX 44) – A man accused of the murder of a Bell County deputy has been sentenced to 40 years in prison, with an additional ten years on a charge of Arson.
The Bell County Sheriff's Office says Manuel Oscar Ramirez, Jr. was sentenced by District Judge Paul LePak in the 264th Judicial District Court on Friday. This was for the Murder of Deputy John Rhoden on April 26, 2020, in addition to an additional charge of Arson which occurred while in custody at the Bell County Jail on November 8, 2024.
Ramirez entered a guilty plea for both charges. Judge LePak sentenced him to 40 years for the Murder of Deputy Rhoden and ten years for the Arson, following a plea agreement.
Sheriff Bill Cooke said in a statement that Ramirez's sentencing brings 'a measure of closure to a painful chapter in our agency's history'. He says Deputy Rhoden's absence remains deeply felt by his family, friends, and fellow law enforcement officers.
PREVIOUS STORY: Man charged in Bell County deputy's death
Ramirez was arrested and charged with Murder in March 2023. He was held in the Bell County Jail with his bond set at $2 million. He was arrested by Bexar County Sheriff's deputies on a Temple Police Department warrant.
Deputy John Andrew Rhoden was struck and killed by an 18-wheeler in April 2020 while attempting to lay a spike strip near Exit #294 of northbound Interstate 35. Rhoden's patrol vehicle was placed on the sidewalk underneath the U.S. and Texas Flags in front of the Bell County Sheriff's Department, located at 104 South Main Street in Belton.
Rhoden's body was escorted from Centex Morturary Services on South 30th Street in Temple to Dossman Funeral Home on North Main Street in Belton. There was a full police escort, where the Bell County Sheriff's Department took the lead. Dep. Rhoden was laid to rest at the Lampasas City Cemetery in Lampasas, where he received full police honors.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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