"I was waiting to die."

Expert psychiatrists, witnesses for the defense, tell the court that Jerrod Ramos is "delusional". Survivors of Ramos' Capital Gazette shooting, testifying for the prosecution, recount that terrible day for the jury.

Show Notes

"I was waiting to die. I was praying”. A Capital gazette reporter describes the terror caused by mass shooter Jarrod Ramos. Six survivors testified in his trial. A photographer said he "felt the wind against his neck” as  shotgun pellets whizzed past his head and narrowly missed killing him.

“Delusional.” That’s how a renowned psychiatric describes Ramos. An expert who specializes in violent behavior, she's previously evaluated  high profile killers like Mark David Chapman, who shot former Beatle John Lennon, Beltway sniper John Allen Muhammad, and serial killer Ted Bundy.

Now the jury must decide if Ramos suffers from mental illness that makes him unable to appreciate the "criminality of his acts". If they decide Ramos is criminally responsible for the murders, he'll be sentenced to life in prison. If they decide he's not criminally responsible, he be sent to a psychiatric hospital. 

This podcast lets you decide for yourself through evidence presented the jury.

What is Capital Gazette Murder Trial?

In late June 2018, five people were murdered by an active shooter walking through their offices at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. Prosecutors say he blocked the exit so the victims couldn’t escape.

The defendant, Jarrod Ramos, pleaded guilty to the murders but his lawyers now argue he’s not “criminally responsible” — Maryland’s version of the Insanity Defense. Prosecutors contend that his attack was planned in a “calculating and methodical” manner because the paper wrote unfavorable articles about him.

Former TV reporter and lawyer Chris Gordon covered the crime. Now, he’s covering the trial in this exclusive podcast from Voxtopica and Chris Gordon News. Listen as he explains the impact of the testimony and evidence inside the courtroom, bringing his unique perspective to the trial.