A Maryland man convicted of fatally shooting five people in a 2018 attack at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis was sentenced Tuesday to more than five life sentences without the possibility of parole.
Jarrod Ramos, 41, pleaded guilty in 2019 to all 23 counts against him, including five counts of first-degree murder, but he pleaded not criminally responsible - which is Maryland’s version of an insanity plea - and did not prevail, NBC News reported.
Ramos killed deputy editor Rob Hiaasen, 59; editorial page editor Gerald Fischman, 61; sports reporter and editor John McNamara, 56; reporter Wendi Winters, 65; and sales assistant Rebecca Smith, 34.
According to NBC News, Ramos was also formally sentenced to a sixth life imprisonment term for the attempted murder of photographer Paul Gillespie plus an additional 345 years.
“For the victims’ families and survivors, this day was a long time coming and closes what I hope will be the final legal chapter on a case that impacted the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County community and beyond,” Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said in a post-sentencing statement. “But, I know the healing for all will continue and many will struggle to move forward.”
Leitess confirmed in a tweet that all of Ramos’ sentences will run consecutively.
Moments ago, Jarrod Ramos was sentenced to five life sentences without parole plus one life sentence plus 345 years. They all will run consecutively.
— AnneArundelSAO (@AnneArundelSAO) September 28, 2021
“The impact of this case is just simply immense,” Judge Michael Wachs said, according to The Associated Press. “To say that the defendant exhibited a callous and complete disregard for the sanctity of human life is simply a huge understatement.”
According to The New York Times, six survivors testified at the trial, “recalling the day that Mr. Ramos walked through their workplace with a 12-gauge shotgun, killing five colleagues.”
Meanwhile, Ramos declined an opportunity to address the court on Tuesday, but Andrea Chamblee, the wife of victim John McNamara, told the newspaper that she met his gaze at one point during the sentencing proceedings.
“I saw nothing. I saw no acknowledgement of his role in this tragedy,” she said, adding, “He was fully masked and he seemed to be remarkably unemotional.”
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said after Ramos’ sentencing that justice has been served and that the five people who were killed would stay “forever in our hearts.”
Justice has been served. While we hope this brings some measure of closure to the families, the pain of that horrible day will always be with us.
— Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) September 28, 2021
Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith, and Wendi Winters are forever in our hearts.https://t.co/YVogtFImAi
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