55 years for murdering girlfriend in Hanover Park

The death of Rocio Munoz-Ramos was not just a murder.

It was a "coldblooded assassination," insisted Cook County Assistant State's Attorney Mike Gerber during Monday's sentencing hearing for Sergio Hernandez, convicted last month of the November 2008 shooting death of his former girlfriend outside the Hanover Park beauty shop where she worked.

This was no crime of passion perpetrated by a spurned ex-boyfriend argued Gerber. It was a deliberate act by Hernandez, who stalked his victim, lay in wait for her outside her workplace, sneaked behind her as she sat in her car, put a bullet behind her left ear and then calmly walked away, Gerber said.

"This defendant deserves each and every day your honor gives him," said Gerber, who asked Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Fecarotta to impose a lengthy incarceration.

Fecarotta obliged, sentencing the 25-year-old Hernandez to a total of 55 years in prison: 30 years for the murder and 25 for using a firearm.

The sentences must be served consecutively and Hernandez must complete every day of them. With credit for the 634 days he has spent in Cook County Jail since his arrest, Hernandez's release from prison will likely come shortly after his 78th birthday.

Cook County Assistant Public Defender Helen Tsimouris described Hernandez's actions on Nov. 25, 2008 as "an aberration in his behavior."

She pointed out that Hernandez had no contact with authorities before the murder and that she believed he can be rehabilitated.

"He is very remorseful," Tsimouris said. "He has shown regret for what happened that night in November."

Hernandez expressed to the court his remorse, but Fecarotta found it lacking.

"How do you say you're sorry to the family for the coldblooded murder of their daughter and sister?" Fecarotta asked.

Munoz-Ramos' brothers and mother described 26-year-old Rocio, the family's only daughter, as an angel who helped support them financially and emotionally.

"We ask the court to take away the freedom of Sergio Hernandez for a very long time," wrote the family in a victim impact statement read by Gerber during the hearing. "We wish it could be forever because our Rocio is gone forever."