Brandon Ramos

By Josh Lanier From Daily Voice

A jury has found a Connecticut man guilty in the deadly shooting of 20-year-old Jyineez Cruz after a birthday party turned violent outside a downtown recording studio, prosecutors said.

Brandon Ramos, 23, of Meriden, was convicted of manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm and carrying a pistol without a permit on Tuesday, July 29, according to state prosecutors. The charges stem from the early morning of Aug. 22, 2021, when an argument between Ramos and Cruz ended in gunfire in a Meriden parking lot.

According to testimony and evidence presented in court, Ramos was hosting a birthday celebration at his studio when he and Cruz got into a heated exchange outside. Investigators said Ramos walked to a nearby parked car, grabbed a .45-caliber handgun, and returned to shoot Cruz three times. Cruz was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ramos did not have a permit to carry the weapon, police said.

After the shooting, Ramos fled to Florida, where he was arrested and later extradited to Connecticut in December 2021.

A judge is scheduled to sentence him on Sept. 22.

Ramos is already serving an eight-year sentence after a judge found him guilty of a weapons charge in 2024. He is a convicted felon and is not allowed to possess firearms, state officials said.

Ramos also faces additional charges.

Officials charged him with first-degree threatening, interfering with an officer, reckless endangerment, and engaging police in a pursuit, authorities said.