Lawyer: Newspaper Gunman Insane, Not Criminally Responsible; Md. Capital Gazette News Case

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Wed Jun 30, 2021, 12:08 AM - Edit history (1)

U.S. News/AP News, June 29, 2021. - Ed.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The man who killed 5 people at a Maryland newspaper was delusional and believed the state's judicial system was conspiring with the Capital Gazette to persecute him and ruin his life, his attorney told a jury Tuesday, trying to make the case that Jarrod Ramos is not criminally responsible for the crimes due to mental illness.

Hours after hearing that, jurors saw photographs of the dead from shotgun blasts in their own newsroom. They saw Wendi Winters collapsed in a hallway after she had just charged at Ramos with a trash can. They saw Gerald Fischman crumpled under his desk. They saw Rob Hiaasen dead in his cubicle. They also saw John McNamara dead at the back of the newsroom. Rebecca Smith died later at a hospital.

They also saw an officer's body camera video, showing Ramos emerging from under a desk in the newsroom and police officers later leading him out. Three years and a day after the attack on the newspaper, the 2nd phase of a trial started for Ramos, who pleaded guilty- but not criminally responsible- to the June 28, 2018 slayings. The plea is Maryland's version of an insanity defense.

Katy O'Donnell told jurors her client "is guilty of having committed these offenses, and his act was willful, deliberate and premeditated.” But, she said, mental health experts for the defense will tell them he is not criminally responsible under the law due to mental illness. “Mr. Ramos is guilty, and he is also not criminally responsible,” she said. Ramos believed that he was being intentionally persecuted after the newspaper wrote about a case in which he pleaded guilty to harassing a former high school classmate...

Read More,
https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2021-06-29/opening-statements-set-for-newspaper-shooting-insanity-phase

[elleng]

1. It may be true; too much of that around 'these days.'

[FirstLight]

2. wow, yikes

I dont know what to think or say

I was just talking in my local FB group about my time as a "real" journalist in the late 90s at our local paper which is down to three staff


We had a huge blowup in 97 I think? local marina owner and boat tour guy who was also into local politics (cuz he had to look out for his interests) got nailed on corruption and pollution charges and out coverage sent him over the edge.

I was a 27 yr old rookie, and givien the task to document the scanner on the night of his rampage. He shot some ppl and then got caught, ONE block from our door.

Truck full of weapons and we didnt even have a locked door to the newsroom, just a little waist-high flappy thing... he was coming for US.
That was an eye opener for real....and yet I am still sad to have seen that level of real journalism die in my town.
It's not like we've gone down in population or issues...but it's become a tabliod tourist rag with *just* enough local (paid) stories to seem like they are still a real paper. only 3 staff now.

Anyway, this bullshit against journalists is just that....they deserve protection for what they do. I guess untill we see what it looks like w/o "free press" we'll never know how important it is to the society as a whole. (sorry to wax poetic, it's my friday and I'm vibing the wine )

:/

[abqtommy]

3. Criminally insane people are why we have secure mental health facilities and judges who

will sentence/commit them to indefinite detention. Problem solved.