VIC MOM RAILS AT JUDGE
Outrage at plea deal for son’s killer
A grieving Long Island mother launched into a scathing courtroom tongue-lashing Monday at the “inexperienced” judge and “incompetent” prosecutor who cut a generous plea deal with her son’s baby-faced killer.
Erica Rimmer laid into Suffolk County Supreme Court Judge Karen Kerr during a hearing at which 16-year-old murderer Ramon Lyons was handed the promised sentence of 12 years in prison.
“I have learned that any judge can be politically appointed to take on a murder-with-intent case that is not experienced enough to fairly handle a case,” Rimmer fumed. “Judge Kerr decided to offer a coldblooded murderer a very generous plea deal when he has done absolutely nothing to cooperate or deserve this.”
Rimmer also ripped Suffolk County Assistant DA Frank Schroeder because she said he “stood there and allowed the defense attorney to negotiate another year” off of Lyons’ sentence, from 13 years to 12.
In a deal Rimmer said was crafted by the judge, Lyons got three years below the maximum sentence for a juvenile offender after he pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder in the 2021 execution-style shooting of Luis Cameron Rimmer-Hernandez, 21.
The killer teen pulled the trigger as part of a Bloods gang initiation, according to prosecutors.
“Why did you ruin my life?” she snapped at Lyons in court. “My son never did anything to you. You took away my firstborn, my first love, my best friend.
“I knew evil existed but not to this degree,” she said. “You walk this earth with no soul, no remorse, no purpose in life. Because of you, I have a life sentence of heartache and pain.”
The judge acknowledged Rimmer and her family’s “frustration with the outcome of the case” before handing down the sentence.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney reiterated Monday that his office had recommended the maximum 15-year sentence to the judge, and defended the prosecutor who handled the case.
“The victim’s mom is upset . . . I respect that,” he told The Post after the sentencing. “But we asked for the max we could under the law, and were willing and able to try the case with a team of ADAs.”
Asked about Rimmer’s comments about Schroeder, Tierney said, “respectfully, I disagree.”
Lyons was just 14 when he walked up to the victim Aug. 9, 2021, in Huntington Station and fired off at least a half-dozen shots, leaving him dead.
Rimmer said her son had just gotten to a friend’s home with some food when his killer came up along the side of the house and opened fire. Lyons went home to play video games but was soon arrested.
Rimmer, a school paraprofessional, said the judge “should’ve taken the deal off the table.”
Lyons’ lawyer, Matthew Tuohy, said Monday that his client took responsibility: “He did say he was sorry.”
But Rimmer said the entire system let her down.
“I know I will never get my son back, but I truly believed my son’s life was more important than the juvenile Bloods gang member, Ramon Lyons, being offered a lesser sentence than he deserved.”