TLDR -
I believe Julian Ramirez murdered Kellie Jean Poppleton.
Julian Ramirez attacked me 30 yrs ago.
I was 14 years old. He was 31.
He did 2 yrs & was released.
I recently learned that 2 yrs prior to my attack..
He was a suspect in Kellie's murder.
He did 2 yrs & was released.
WTF?
Alameda County should still my clothes/evidence.
DNA?
Some rambling details..
I'd never met or heard of Julian Ramirez before the attack, nor did I know Kellie Poppleton. I was 12yrs old when she was abducted from my neighborhood. Us kids were no longer allowed to ride our bikes near the corner shopping center where she disappeared & had to buddy up when we went out to play but that was the extent of my awareness about her murder.
Two years later I was attacked literally across the street from where she was taken. I was waiting for the bus at the corner of Darwin Dr. and Fremont Blvd. in Fremont, CA.
These are Important Facts..
I was ambushed, pulled into an apartment, thrown to the ground and pinned down by a strange man. He used his knees to try & force my thighs apart which tore the seams of my skirt up on both sides and left black grapefruit sized bruises from my knees to my crotch. He held both wrists together above my head with alternating hands while trying to cover my mouth. He licked my face and stuck his tongue in my ear.
So I bit him.
Yep, like a Tasmanian Devil I tore into whatever made contact with my mouth. I reached up and bit into his chest. I bit REALLY hard and hung on. This surprised him. He flinched and I scrambled out from under him as my knee swung into his crotch. I squirmed out of his grasp. Frantically, I struggled with the locks on his door as he tried to get up, reaching at me. I burst thru the door and ran away as fast as I could, fearing that he was chasing me. I ran for my life.
My neighbor found me hysterical on her doorstep and called police. (Nobody was home at my house so I ran there). They called out a "BOLO" for the man I described. I told the officer that I had bitten the attacker when they asked how I got away. A patrol car spotted Julian Ramirez outside the "00 liquorstore" within 15 minutes. He had a visible bite mark wound on his chest.
Julian Ramirez was arrested and incarcerated. A few years and dozens of postponed trial dates later I saw him again in Supreme Court. The investigation and trial details weren't shared with me because of my age(?) and I wasn't permitted to attend any of his trial aside from my testimony. His lawyer /harassed/interrogated/cross-examined me. It was the second worst experience of my young life. I was stunned by the realization that the defense intended to prove that HE was the victim. His defense lawyer made it clear that she believed she could prove that I was a liar, I was a
, a con artist. Not only that but indeed a JEALOUS EX-GIRLFRIEND set on revenge against poor Mr. Ramirez because after being together for some time, he had ended "our affair". What?? Apparently I flew into a rage and attacked him. Seriously. Remember I was 14 years old, had braces and wore Garfield underoos. I was a virgin and a child. She (his lawyer) was ruthless, it was more traumatizing than the attack itself. . Umm, he tried to rape me.
Soooo, Alameda County Supreme Court gave Julian Ramirez a slap on the wrist. He did maybe 2-3 years in jail total. Julian Ramirez, who is a habitual sexual predator of children (14 year old girls are children, Alameda County). We got a call from the County Prosecutor (my lawyer) who warned us that he had been released and might know our address since it's listed on his court papers. Nice. That was the end of my childhood (and my little brother's) My parents got a divorce, We moved out of the area, away from Julian Ramirez and his crazy family's threats and nonstop harassment. The vandalism of our home was constant. They poured oil on our front lawn & killed the grass, so it read "HO" in large brown dead grass letters. Also "
". Yes, I'm serious. We couldn't bring my beloved cat, Tahoe, with us because we moved to a small apartment. It breaks my heart to this day. He was part of the family and my best friend since 1st grade. Anyways. We all focused on moving forward but it changed the trajectory of my life.
Fast forward 30 years.. I saw this random article about Kellie Poppleton unsolved murder on Facebook Fremont Rants and Raves Group.. hmm. I do a search for her name & find an old newspaper article about the crime. And there he is. Julian Ramirez, the predator.
Wow. So, he was the prime suspect in the murder of (14 year old) Kellie Poppleton but he was released. He was on probation for crimes related to her murder (and high on PCP!?!) when he assaulted me two years later. I was also 14 and attacked across the street from where she was last seen. Then he was released again.
Isn't it an actual crime to kill and rape kids in Alameda County? Not in my experience.
Questions..
Because I was a juvenille victim, I've been told that they sealed the court record. Can I now request a copy of the case file?
Police took my clothes and shoes as evidence. They took Polaroid, I think, photos of my injuries, bruises and marks and maybe my fingerprints and a swab before I gave my statement that night. I never got my clothes (evidence) back but this was before DNA testing.
If they could test my clothes for DNA and match it to DNA found on Kellie..
I don't know if any of this is important to anyone but me but it feels good to get it out. Maybe some of this information could help with the cold case investigation, maybe not. The blatant disregard for truth or logic I witnessed in Supreme Court when I tried to explain what happened to me... it was a soul crushing experience. Frankly, I doubt the competence of those who were entrusted with protecting my rights and those of any victims in Alameda County at that time. Sad but true.
I did not intend to write all of this..
I wouldn't be surprised if there are other girls who were victimized in addition to myself and Kellie Jean Poppleton. It's a tragedy that she was murdered, bless her soul. I do hope there can be justice for her and her family.
I welcome any questions (or answers).
Thanks, Poppy Hedman
