Appeals denied for men involved in beating of Deandre Harris

RICHMOND, V.A. (WVIR) - Two men convicted in a bloody beating in the aftermath of the 2017 Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville will stay behind bars.

On Tuesday, Virginia's Court of Appeals officially denied appeals from both men. This stems from the beating of Deandre Harris inside the Market Street Parking Garage on August 12, 2017.

Jacob Goodwin of Arkansas and Alex Ramos of Georgia both appealed last year's malicious wounding convictions in Charlottesville Circuit Court. The Court of Appeals says the trial court did not abuse its discretion or make an error in either of their proceedings.

Goodwin is serving eight years behind bars and Ramos is serving six years. A total of four men were sentenced to prison time for their roles in the beating.

RICHMOND (November 12, 2019)—Attorney General Mark R. Herring and his team have successfully defended the convictions of two men who were convicted of malicious wounding for their roles in the beating of Deandre Harris in a Charlottesville parking garage during the August 2017 “Unite the Right” rally. In unanimous decisions issued this morning, the Court of Appeals of Virginia rejected efforts by Jacob Scott Goodwin and Alex Michael Ramos to have their convictions set aside.

“We can never forget the violence, mayhem, injury, and death caused by the racists and white supremacists who descended on Charlottesville for Unite the Right, but we can ensure that those who broke the law face justice,” said Attorney General Mark R. Herring. “My team and I continue to sound the alarm about the dangers of white supremacist violence and its rise in Virginia and around the country, and will not hesitate to hold racists and white supremacists accountable when they turn their hate into violence.”

More information on the decisions from the Court of Appeals and copies of the court’s opinions are available below:

Link to Court of Appeals Opinion in Goodwin Case

Jacob Scott Goodwin v. Commonwealth of Virginia 11/12/2019

Trial court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to strike four potential jurors for cause or in denying appellant’s motion to set aside the verdict where the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s verdict that appellant was guilty of malicious wounding.

Link to Court of Appeals Opinion in Ramos Case

Alex Michael Ramos v. Commonwealth of Virginia 11/12/2019

Trial court did not err in refusing to excuse, for cause, jurors who were aware that another defendant had been convicted the previous day for a malicious wounding of the same victim in the same incident or in denying motion to strike where evidence was sufficient to prove malice; argument regarding denial of motion to change venue barred by Rule 5A:18.