Capital Gazette Shooter First Planned To Blow Up Paper, Court

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Laurel man who admitted gunning down five Capital Gazette employees told a psychiatrist he first considered blowing up the Annapolis newspaper office and the Maryland appellate court building. But, he decided a mass shooting would likely give him better treatment in prison, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Prosecutors said Jarrod Ramos held a long-standing grudge against the paper for writing about a stalking conviction against him, and was upset he lost court cases claiming defamation by the newspaper.

On June 28, 2018, Ramos shot through the office doors of the Capital Gazette newsroom and killed journalists Robert Hiaasen, Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman and John McNamara and advertising assistant Rebecca Smith. Six other Capital employees present during the attack survived.

Wednesday’s hearing focused on mental evaluations of Ramos and his decision to plead not criminally responsible, which is Maryland's version of the insanity plea,

“There is no defense for the crime I committed," Ramos told Dr. Sameer Patel, a state forensic psychiatrist, according to the hearing, the newspaper reported.

But Ramos learned he might have easier access to a computer and the internet if he is committed to a psychiatric hospital rather than housed in a prison. Patel’s report said that was part of Ramos' decision to use an insanity defense.

Ramos has pleaded guilty to the murders, part of 23 charges brought against him. The most serious charges are five counts of first-degree murder. The other charges are for attempted murder, assault and various gun-related crimes.

His trial was split into two parts, with the first trial designed to determine whether he committed the crime. Following his guilty plea, a second trial was scheduled to determine whether he was sane when he forced his way into the newspaper's office building and killed the staffers.

According to eyewitness accounts from survivors of the shooting, Winters armed herself with the closest weapons at hand – her trash and recycling bins – and charged the shooter, shouting for him to stop. It is believed that Winters' actions distracted the shooter so several of her coworkers had time to escape.

The psychiatrist's report said Ramos originally planned what he described as an attack similar to the Oklahoma City federal building bombing by Timothy McVeigh. The gunman's targets were the newspaper office and the Robert C. Murphy Court of Appeals Building, which houses Maryland’s appellate courts.

But as he researched the McVeigh case and notorious mass shootings, Ramos determined his odds of surviving were better if he shot workers rather than planting a bomb, experts said.

Jury selection for the next phase of the trial is scheduled to begin June 23, although the trial itself begins June 29.

On Thursday, Circuit Judge Michael Wachs denied a request by the defense to ban news media from hearings and to order attorneys not to speak to reporters, The Baltimore Sun reported.

But the judge said salacious reports could delay the trial as attorneys seek to seat an impartial jury.

“Members of the press are making it more challenging for us to have a fair trial,” Wachs said.

The trial was postponed multiple times, most recently last year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Doctors with the Maryland Department of Health determined Ramos to be sane. His mental health evaluation was ordered by Circuit Court Judge Laura Ripken. An expert hired by Ramos' attorneys said that after evaluating him, she believed he was not criminally responsible. But a doctor prosecutors hired, who has not been granted the opportunity to interview Ramos, conferred with the health department doctors and agreed with their assessment.

On the two-year anniversary of the shooting, Gov. Larry Hogan proclaimed June 28 Freedom of the Press Day, honoring the victims.

The state government dedicated $300,000 to construct a memorial to remember those who died. The memorial, called Guardians of Free Speech, will be built in Annapolis' Newman Park.

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