GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man sentenced to life for a murder stemming from what a Kent County Circuit Court judge called a “gang beef” will remain in prison after a state appeals court upheld his sentence.
Raymond Barrios, 35, will spend the rest of his life behind bars after the Michigan Court of Appeals denied a request to overturn his first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder convictions.
In October 2023, a jury convicted Barrios of ten counts related to the July 2019 killing of 20-year-old Saul Espinoza, including first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and commission of a felony in association with gang membership. The decision came after about 30 minutes of deliberation…