MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The jury that convicted Jonathan Ramirez of first degree murder has denied mercy to the Texas resident Friday.

Ramirez, 24, of Watauga, Texas, will spend the rest of his life in prison for the January 2024 murder of Learfield Sports employee Jacob Lough.

Ramirez was convicted on all counts Thursday. The jury took about 30 minutes to deliberate the case. The same panel heard testimony Thursday afternoon and Friday morning in the mercy phase of the trial and took about 10 minutes to decide to deny mercy.

Ramirez traveled to West Virginia in mid-January 2024 to meet a teen girl and when that fell through he ended up in Morgantown.

Ramirez stayed at the Hampton Inn on Van Voorhis Road before walking to a nearby neighborhood and eventually into Lough’s residence on Milfo

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