To: The Nebraska Board of Pardons, Criminal Justice Reform Advocates, and the General Public

We, the undersigned, urge an immediate and thorough review of the conviction of Eric L. Ramos, who is currently serving a life sentence in Nebraska for the murder of inmate Michael Galindo during a 2017 prison riot at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution (TSCI). Eric has maintained his innocence from the start, and overwhelming procedural and evidentiary failures raise serious doubts about the fairness of his trial and the integrity of his conviction.

Why This Matters:

Eric was convicted largely based on subjective identification from grainy surveillance footage, testimony from prison staff with limited objectivity, and incomplete evidence—some of which was not disclosed until the final moments of trial or even after the verdict.

Key issues include:

Suppression of Potentially Exculpatory Evidence: Critical witness interviews (exhibits 458, 470, and 471) were either disclosed at the tail end of trial or post-verdict. These included statements implicating other inmates in the murder. The late disclosure denied Eric’s defense the time needed to investigate or present these facts to the jury.

Rushed Denial of Continuance: When new evidence came to light during trial, Eric’s legal team requested just a two-week continuance to investigate these leads. This reasonable request was denied, further handicapping his ability to present a complete defense.
Questionable Witness Testimony: The State relied heavily on testimony from prison staff who “identified” Eric from surveillance footage. These identifications were not only subjective, but they also lacked corroboration and were given undue weight.
Speedy Trial and Due Process Violations: The appellate court acknowledged over 1,300 days of delay largely caused by prosecutorial missteps and procedural tangles. Yet, these delays were used against Eric in denying his motion for discharge.
Uninvestigated Alternate Suspects: Inmates allegedly admitted involvement in Galindo’s murder to fellow inmates—but this was never fully pursued by the State. One inmate, claimed the others bragged about the murder and named others involved—yet Eric was the one charged and convicted.

Eric Ramos is not asking for special treatment—he is demanding justice. The criminal legal system must not turn a blind eye when real questions remain about a man’s guilt, especially when his life is at stake.

We demand:

A formal review of Eric Ramos’ conviction and the circumstances surrounding his trial.
An independent investigation into prosecutorial misconduct and the suppression of exculpatory evidence.

A reconsideration of his case for post-conviction relief, clemency, or retrial.
Support from elected officials, civil rights organizations, and legal advocacy groups to correct this miscarriage of justice.

Eric has already lost years of his life behind bars for a crime he did not commit. Let’s stand together and demand the truth be seen and heard. Justice delayed should not be justice denied.

Our family is merely a single voice among many crying out against the grave injustice that is currently plaguing Nebraska's criminal justice system. This is not an isolated incident. Across Nebraska, individuals are being wrongly ensnared by the criminal justice system. According to a recent study, Nebraska has one of the highest rates of wrongful convictions in the United States, a fact that attests to the systematic failings of our criminal justice system. Mistaken identity, coerced confessions, and tainted witness accounts continue to perpetuate this crisis.

This is a critical and urgent call to the government officials, lawmakers, and decision-makers of Nebraska. We need a system-wide review and corrective action to rectify these major failings that are eroding public trust in our institutions.

Sign and share this petition. Let Nebraska—and the nation—know that we will not be silent.

#FreeEricRamos #WrongfulConviction #JusticeForEric #NebraskaInjustice