Cause hearing is schedule for the case that shocked East Boston

Fernanda Pineda

East Boston

Oct. 20 A probable cause hearing will continue for Angel Ramos-Oliva on Oct. 31 in connection to 18-year-old Blanca Lainez’s homicide.

Ramos-Oliva, 21, is accused of first-degree murder, and is held without bail, according to a criminal complaint filed in East Boston Municipal Court.

He was arrested on Sept. 2 and arraigned the same day court. He is accused of killing Lainez in June, after detectives identified him through fingerprints found in the scene and video evidence near the Princeton Street garage, where Lainez’s body was found.

Robert Griffin, the lawyer representing Ramos-Oliva, declined to comment on the case.

Jose Hernandez, 16, from East Boston was arrested in July in connection with the case and charged with first degree murder. He is held without bail.

Detectives connect Hernandez to Lainez through phone contact and social media that suggested a friendship.

Police have yet to determine the relationship between Ramos-Oliva and Lainez, as well as a motive to the murder.

Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley office, who is handling the case, declined to make a statement, yet referred to a September press release for more information about the case.

In June, construction workers found Lainez’ body beaten and stabbed in a duplex garage under construction.

The murder shocked the East Boston community due to the young age of the individuals, the severity of the crime and Lainez’s Salvadoran immigrant background. A large community of Salvadoran immigrants live in East Boston.

Lainez arrived to the United States in 2013 from El Salvador, to better herself, according to her sister Dora Merino’s, GoFundme page.

Shortly after her sister’s death, Merino created a GoFundMe page for funeral costs. Merino planned to send Lainez’s body to San Vicente, El Salvador, where the rest of her family lives. The Salvadoran consulate was helping the family transport the body.

Merino did not respond to requests for comment, but told The Boston Globe in July that she wanted justice for her sister and know the motive and identity of the culprit.