An illegal immigrant from Guatemala who stabbed a 34-year-old Nashua woman to death in 2022 has been sentenced to 33 years in prison, Attorney General John Formella announced Tuesday.
Jose Miguel Ramirez-Vasquez, 27, pled guilty to second degree murder. If and when he is released, he will likely face deportation.
The outcome is small comfort to the family of his victim, Julie Graichen, who was stabbed to death inside her Kinsley Street apartment.
Julie Graichen
Graichen was known as “Julie Hoops” for her skill at spinning modified versions of hula hoops, and she often performed at Nashua’s downtown music and arts festivals.
According to Graichen’s mother, Marie Graichen, Monday’s three-and-a-half hour sentencing hearing saw friends and relatives fill a Hillsborough County courtroom, holding poster-sized photographs of Julie.
Graichen said her daughter’s killer had originally violated his 2014 federal deportation order. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have confirmed that Ramirez-Vasquez was living in the U.S. illegally.
In a Facebook post, Graichen described Monday’s hearing as “emotionally and physically draining,” adding, “This chapter’s closure brings relief from emotional anguish, allowing us to continue our grief counseling.”
Graichen said her family disagreed with the prosecution’s decision to accept a plea agreement.
A top concern for Graichen is what happens when Ramirez-Vasquez completes his sentence and is deported to Guatemala.
“There will be no ‘surveillance’ on him once he is sent back to his country,” Graichen wrote. “Our fear is that he will come back again, because he’s already done so at least twice.”
Efforts by NHJournal to contact Graichen directly were unsuccessful.
According to Formella, “Mr. Vasquez’s immigration status is now subject to federal analysis and/or enforcement, which would be a federal matter and not carried out by the State of New Hampshire Department of Justice.”
It is unclear whether ICE had ordered an immigration detainer on Ramirez-Vasquez prior to his murder of Graichen. Boston’s ICE field office, which serves New Hampshire, has not yet responded to NHJournal’s request for comment.
Graichen’s mother, however, shared additional details regarding the status of Ramirez-Vasquez at the time he murdered her daughter.
“At the time that he murdered Julie, there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest for criminal threatening and the police were trying to find him the night before he murdered Julie,” she wrote in a Sept. 1 post. “There are disturbing details of how he carried out his actions, and I will refrain from posting these on social media.
“Just know that he is a sociopath and that he should be under surveillance for as long as possible.”
The sentencing comes as candidates for office in New Hampshire debate the state’s policies toward increased border security and sanctuary city policies, already a contentious area of political debate. Republican candidate for governor Kelly Ayotte supports increased enforcement and opposes sanctuary city policies. Democrat Joyce Craig has declined to say whether she still supports allowing New Hampshire communities to become sanctuary cities.
