MORGANTOWN — A Monongalia County jury convicted Jonathan Ramirez, 24, of Watauga, Texas, on Thursday of first-degree murder, burglary and grand larceny in the stabbing death of 26-year-old Jacob Patrick Lough.
The verdict, returned after two days of testimony, pushed the trial into its final phase as jurors must now decide whether to recommend mercy. With mercy, Ramirez could be eligible for parole after 15 years. Without it, he will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Ramirez wore a suit jacket and button-up shirt in court. He rocked side to side in his chair throughout the day, at times smirking faintly with no emotion as he walked in the room. At no point did he look toward his mother as she testified on his behalf.
She commented on the stand, “I know I have lost my son.”
“I am sorry for all the damage he has caused,” as she explains she feels her son does not love her.
The sentencing phase opened with testimony that painted Ramirez as both dangerous and unremorseful. A psychiatrist who evaluated him said Ramirez admitted to violent urges, described vivid fantasies of killing and revealed a fixation with horror icon Michael Myers.
He told the doctor he had wanted to be like the fictional slasher and had written descriptive stories about carrying out murders. Ramirez looked “like a child on Christmas morning” when he explained the killing of Lough in January 2024 to the doctor.
Evidence showed Ramirez drove from Texas to Morgantown, broke into Lough’s home and stabbed him more than 200 times. The psychiatrist testified that Ramirez showed no signs of remorse during his evaluation and instead expressed satisfaction in the details of his crime.
Jurors also heard from correctional officers who described Ramirez’s conduct in jail while awaiting trial. One officer said Ramirez assaulted him. Since then, he has been kept on a special protocol requiring full restraints and two guards whenever he is moved.
Prosecutors argued this behavior underscored his threat to others, even in custody.
The focus later shifted to Lough himself. Friends and family filled the courtroom with stories of his warmth, humor and generosity. They described his love of sports, being a “cat dad” and the way he always found time for others. There were moments of laughter — stories of inside jokes and his kid nature — followed quickly by tears as loved ones recalled what they had lost.
Comments made from loved ones were nothing but love, “As pure and nice as it comes.”
“I see a really good dad.”
“I would not trade those nine years together to take away my suffering.”
“Imagine the purity of a four-year-old boy, he never grew up.”
“I think about him every day.”
The mercy phase is expected to continue Friday in Monongalia County Circuit Court as jurors weigh whether Ramirez should be eligible for parole.
