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thedrifter
10-11-07, 07:39 AM
Bakersfield Marine's death may be homicide
BY FELIX DOLIGOSA JR., Californian staff writer
e-mail: fdoligosa@bakersfield.com | Wednesday, Oct 10 2007 9:50 PM

Last Updated: Wednesday, Oct 10 2007 9:56 PM

The death of a Marine from Bakersfield is now being investigated as a possible homicide, the victim's mother said Wednesday night.

Lance Cpl. Ramiro Hernandez III, was found dead Aug. 20 in his barracks bed at his base in Twentynine Palms. He was 24.

The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Marines are investigating the death, said Hernandez' mother, Rachel Hernandez.

Messages left for authorities at Camp Pendleton Wednesday night were not returned.

"I want to know who did it," Rachel Hernandez said. "They (investigators) need to get whoever did it."

Rachel Hernandez said the investigation so far has been "fishy."

When the Marines returned Hernandez' belongings to the family, they kept his laptop, cell phone, iPod and deleted pictures from his camera, according to Rachel Hernandez.

"I think it's someone in the Marine Corps and they're trying to cover it up," she said.

The family has been told the investigations are not complete.

"We are just waiting around now," the mother said.

Hernandez believes suicide was ruled out as the cause of Hernandez' death because his family received an insurance check from the Marines last week.

"If Ramiro took his life, we would not get the insurance money," the mother said. "I know my son. He wouldn't kill himself."

Hernandez was born and raised in Bakersfield, and he graduated from Bakersfield High School in 2002.

He enlisted in the Marine Corps in September 2006 and was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 4th Regiment. Hernandez was scheduled to deploy to Iraq later this year.

"He was going up really fast in the ranks," Rachel Hernandez said. "He wanted to go to Iraq."

Ellie