Jury rejects mental illness claims for Capital Gazette gunman; says he is ‘criminally responsible’

Jury says Capital Gazette gunman is criminally responsible for killing 5

A jury rejected a mental illness claim for the Capital Gazette gunman on Thursday, saying Jarrod Ramos is criminally responsible for the deaths of five staff members in their Annapolis offices.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A jury has determined that the man responsible for killing five people in the Capital Gazette newspaper offices in Annapolis is ‘criminally responsible’ for his actions.

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Despite his guilty plea to all 23 counts, lawyers representing Jarrod Ramos argued that he was not responsible for his actions because of mental illness.

Ramos, 41, will now be sentenced to prison, rather than a maximum security mental health facility.

Prosecutors are seeking five life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Survivors and relatives of the five people who were killed in the mass shooting dedicated a memorial to them and the First Amendment in Annapolis on June 28 - the anniversary of the mass shooting.

The "Guardians of the First Amendment" includes five pillars to represent the lives of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Wendi Winters and Rebecca Smith.

Defense attorneys argued that Ramos suffered from a delusional disorder as well as autism and obsessive-compulsive disorder. They contended Ramos became consumed with the idea that the article had ruined his life. As his defamation appeals failed, his lawyers said he came to believe there was a vast conspiracy against him involving the courts and the newspaper.

Prosecutors, however, repeatedly pointed to shortcomings in the mental health evaluations done by the defense, which relied mostly on interviews with Ramos and his sister.

Prosecutors said Ramos acted out of revenge for the article. They said his long, meticulous planning for the attack and the manner in which he carried it out -- including plans for arrest and long incarceration -- proved he understood the criminality of his actions and was able to conform his behavior to the requirements of the law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Memorial to 5 killed in Capital Gazette attack dedicated in Annapolis; trial scheduled to begin Tuesday

The trial into a gunman's ambush of the Capital Gazette newsroom is set to begin Tuesday -- one day after Annapolis marked three years since the attack that left five newspaper employees dead.

Crime and Public Safety Maryland News