Suspect in December shooting returned to court for murder case
On Friday (May 8) morning, Nicholas Lee returned to court for an early disposition hearing before Judge Sarah Oliver.
Lee is the suspect in a shooting that resulted in the death of Yucca Valley teenager Michael Ramos Jr. At around 9:15 p.m. on the evening of December 21, 2025, Morongo Basin Sheriff’s Deputies responded to reports of a shooting at a party in the 57000 block of Chipmunk Trail in Yucca Valley.
Deputies found eighteen-year-old Ramos suffering from a gunshot wound. They report that he had been involved in an argument with then 29-year-old Lee, who is accused of shooting Ramos and fleeing the scene. The Sheriff’s Aviation Division located Lee hiding in the area several hours later, and he was taken into custody. Ramos was transferred to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs; he was taken off life support and died from his injuries on December 26.
At Friday’s hearing, District Attorney Joseph Walsh represented the prosecution, and Attorney Antonio Bestard represented the Conflict Panel for Lee, who was in custody. A conflict panel is a group of attorneys in private practice assigned to criminal cases in the event of a conflict of interest with the public defender’s office. Bestard told Judge Oliver that the Conflict Panel needed additional time for research and requested a delay of the hearing until June. Judge Oliver scheduled an Early Disposition Hearing for June 30.
Nicholas Lee is charged with one count of murder and one count of attempted murder related to a second victim. He is currently held at the San Bernardino County Central Detention Center on $2,500,000 bail.
