Judge: Defense has enough to consider insanity plea in Capital Gazette shooting
An Anne Arundel County judge ruled Monday that prosecutors provided enough evidence to justify charges in the Capital Gazette shooting case, denying a request for more information from the defense as it considers entering an insanity plea by Friday.
Circuit Court Judge Laura Ripken, in her opinion, found prosecutors gave the defense “significantly more” than is legally required in a bill of particulars, a document outlining the facts supporting an indictment.
Ripken is presiding over the Capital Gazette shooting case, in which a Laurel man faces 23 counts for murdering five people at the news organization office in Annapolis on June 28.
Police say the gunman killed Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, Rebecca Smith, Wendi Winters and John McNamara. Six other staff members in the newsroom that afternoon survived the attack.
Jarrod Ramos, 39, was indicted on 23 charges in the attack, including murder, attempted murder and assault of other employees in the newsroom at the time. The trial is scheduled for June 3 to 14.
Read more: https://www.capitalgazette.com/news/for_the_record/ac-cn-ramos-ruling-20190311-story.html