A judge granted an Aurora man’s request to serve as his own attorney against an attempted murder charge stemming from a 2015 Aurora shooting, according to Kane County court records.
Anibal Ramos, 21, pleaded not guilty to attempted murder during a July 13 hearing at which Kane County Judge Linda Abrahamson agreed to let Ramos represent himself and discharged a court-appointed attorney who been involved in the case.
Abrahamson did not order standby counsel to assist Ramos, court documents show.
Prosecutors allege Ramos opened fire with a 9mm handgun on a vehicle driving in the area of LaSalle and Bluff streets in Aurora on March 1, 2015. He was indicted two years later, about a month before being paroled in April by the Illinois Department of Corrections on an unrelated gun possession conviction.
He remains in Kane County Jail on $500,000 bail in the attempted murder case. Ramos faces a minimum of 26 years in prison if convicted of attempted murder.
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According to authorities and records, Ramos was arrested five days after the 2015 shooting when police found him with two guns and ammunition under a seat during a traffic stop. He eventually was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison in that case. Ramos also has a pending case from 2016 which accuses him of illegal possession and delivery of a .25-caliber gun.
A court filing by prosecutors last year indicated Ramos has four juvenile convictions since 2010 for weapons, gang and battery charges.
Dan Campana is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.