A Lexington County jury has convicted and sentenced Jose Manuel Ramirez, 31, for his role in the 2023 death of 24-year-old Marbel Lopez.

Ramirez was found guilty of driving under the influence resulting in a death; hit and run, duties of a driver involved in an accident with a death; and reckless vehicular homicide.

According to prosecutors, Ramirez was intoxicated and argumentative at a child’s birthday party in the Gilbert area on Sept. 2, 2023. When Ramirez attempted to leave, Lopez tried to stop him from driving impaired. 

Ramirez sped out of the yard with Lopez clinging to the vehicle. As Ramirez exited an open gate, Lopez was thrown from the vehicle and hit a fence. 

Ramirez also struck a dumpster and a parked car before fleeing to a residence on Donald Drive in Lexington.

Lopez was taken to Prisma Health Richland, where he underwent surgery for a traumatic brain injury. He died on Sept. 14, 2023, from neurological injury. 

When Ramirez was arrested, he admitted to having at least eight shots that day and could not walk straight. A breath test at the Lexington County Detention Center measured his blood alcohol level at 0.18, more than twice the legal limit in South Carolina. 

Ramirez’s record includes convictions for simple possession of marijuana and trespassing in 2013, in addition to several speeding convictions between 2015 and 2023. 

“Marbel Lopez tried to do the right thing. Marbel had been drinking that day as well, but he tried to prevent someone from driving while impaired,” Senior Assistant Solicitor Wagoner said in the media release. “Sadly, Jose Ramirez did not listen to Marbel and chose to drive off recklessly while intoxicated, killing Marbel. Driving while impaired is a conscious decision. If you are going to drink, plan ahead. Call a friend. Use a rideshare app. Listen to others when they tell you that you should not be driving. Or stay where you are.”

“Make the right choice before it is too late—for you and everyone else on the road,” Wagoner added. 

The trial ran from Sept. 15 to 18, 2025. Ramirez received concurrent sentences for all three charges and will serve his sentence at the South Carolina Department of Corrections. 

The case was prosecuted by Eleventh Circuit Senior Assistant Todd Wagoner and Assistant Solicitor Player Long. The Lexington County Sheriff's Department investigated the case.