Crime & Safety

Trial Date Set For Jarrod Ramos In Capital Gazette Shootings

The man accused of slaying five people at the Capital Gazette newspaper office appeared in court on Monday.

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD โ€” The trial of Jarrod Ramos, the man accused of shooting five people at the Capital Gazette newspaper office, is expected to begin in January, according to news reports.

Ramos appeared in court Monday for a hearing before Judge Laura Kiessling, who said the trial would begin on Jan. 15 and last about 10 days, according to a report from the Capital Gazette.

Kiessling also granted a plea deadline extension request made by defense attorneys who said they needed more time to review critical documents in the case, according to the Associated Press. The deadline has been extended to Oct. 24.

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Ramos, 38, of Laurel, previously entered a not guilty plea to the 23 criminal charges he faces in connection with the June 28 deaths of five people at the Annapolis newspaper.

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Ramos is charged with five counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Wendi Winters, Robert Hiaasen, Gerald Fischman, John McNamara and Rebecca Ann Smith.

He also faces a charge of attempted first-degree murder of photographer Paul Gillespie, six counts of first-degree assault and 11 counts of use of a firearm in commission of a crime of violence.

Multiple media outlets reported that Ramos' attorneys could be considering an insanity defense for their client.

Prosecutors in the case said previously that they intend to seek a sentence of life without parole.

Read more about the Capital Gazette shooting incident: Editor Had Feared Suspect as 'Crazy Enough' to 'Blow Us All Away'

Picture of the accused gunman Jarrod Ramos, courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police Department.


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