Cesar Ramirez is a student at the Sunrise Academy charter school who’s killed by students at the rival public school, Aaron Burr High.
History[]
Cesar excelled at his education so much, he helped to reach kids in underprivileged areas for tutoring. He helped one boy, Moses Dolan, in the hopes he’d also get enrolled at the academy. However, Moses’ brother Abel was furious, jealous over Moses’ successes which would’ve pulled him away from his family. In addition, a girl the boys fawned over, Jolie Henderson, was the focus of Cesar’s crush, which infuriated much of the student body who thought he was too privileged for the neighborhood.
By unknown coercion, Jolie was lured as a lure for Abel, Edison Treadwell, Martin Coyne, and Andy Mews, to jump Cesar. On phone video recordings, they bludgeoned him with blunt weapons, then set him on fire, beating him even after he was dead. His parents were devastated, fearing he would’ve been seen as a Latino boy killed by a bad crowd he knew. They were horrified by other possible motives, like stealing his phone or his crush on Jolie.
Although no one originally wanted to testify, the school principal, Woodside, was brought on to convince Abel to confess, especially after the other three boys violently beat and raped Jolie out of vengeance. As Moses called in a tip on Cesar’s murder, he had the chance for the reward money that would get him the scholarship. Abel agreed, and he got all the boys to take pleas. (L&O: "Boy on Fire")