About the Author
José A. Torres Ramírez was born in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico. He studied political science at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico and earned his law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. After graduating from law school in 1993, he moved to Cleveland and was admitted to the Bar in both Puerto Rico and Ohio. He served as a prosecutor for 10 years, during which he investigated and prosecuted numerous criminal cases, including more than 100 jury trials.
From 2007 to 2010, Torres Ramírez had the honor of serving as Deputy Legal Counsel for the Ohio Governor. He managed a wide range of complex responsibilities, including statewide policy development, drafting and evaluating legislation and Supreme Court issues, coordinating investigations of suspected illegal conduct by state employees, handling Parole Board matters, and reviewing over 1,500 executive clemency applications, including those from death row inmates right before their scheduled executions. In 2010, Torres Ramírez was appointed to the Ohio Parole Board, where he conducted over 3,000 hearings on executive clemency and parole releases. Most of these cases involved convicted murderers and rapists.
In early 2013, he rejoined the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office as General Felony Supervisor. For four years, he effectively managed up to 18 attorneys in the General Felony Unit. These attorneys handled cases ranging from low-level felony thefts to kidnappings and homicides. Torres Ramírez also established the first Conviction Integrity Unit in Ohio. As unit director, he managed the extrajudicial review of innocence claims filed by convicted felons. Among the cases this unit investigated are those involving convictions based on evidence planted by corrupt police officers. Since 2018, Torres Ramírez has overseen all Drug Court dockets in the county. In this role, he aims to assist defendants who require treatment rather than incarceration.
With 30 years of combined experience as a defense attorney, prosecutor, governor’s legal counsel, and parole board member, Torres Ramírez gained the skills to conduct thorough, impartial investigations, using a logical, reconstructive process to determine what happened and who was responsible. His conclusions are based on the specific facts and evidence found.
