FRESNO, CA (KMJ) – An emotional scene outside the courtroom at Fresno County Superior Court on Monday as family and friends of Janessa Ramirez came together following the sentencing of Brian Cooks.
Cooks was sentenced to 21 years in state prison for voluntary manslaughter, participation in a criminal street gang, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The 9-year-old girl was killed in January of 2015 — when she got caught in the crossfire of a gang-related shooting on Clinton and Marks.
Cooks issued an apology to the Ramirez family back then, after Janessa’s mother said she’d forgiven her daughter’s killers.
The Fresno County District Attorney’s Office said at the pre-trial hearing, Cooks, a convicted felon, pleaded “no contest” to the charges.
Cooks will serve 21 years in the California Department of Corrections.
