Insanity Plea For Accused Capital Gazette Shooter: Reports

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The man charged with shooting and killing five people last year in the newsroom of the Capital Gazette entered a plea Monday, April 29, of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, according to media reports.

Jarrod Ramos, 39, is accused of killing Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, Rebecca Smith, Wendi Winters and John McNamara in a shotgun rampage on June 28, 2018, at the office of the Annapolis newspaper.

Ramos, who's from Laurel, faces five counts of first-degree murder, one count of attempted murder and six counts of first-degree assault, the Capital Gazette reported. He originally pleaded not guilty for the attack.

In the plea filing Monday, lawyers for Ramos said he is not criminally responsible "because of a mental disorder" in which he "lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct," WBAL-TV Channel 11 reported.

The trial for Ramos is scheduled for November. The Anne Arundel County state’s attorney said Monday her office will ask a judge to order Ramos to be evaluated by the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Capital Gazette reported.