ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The man charged with shooting and killing five people inside the Capital Gazette newspaper building in June of 2018 has plead guilty, but not criminally responsible, to all 24 counts in the indictment, according to WBAL-TV in Baltimore. The guilty plea includes five counts of first-degree murder.
Jarrod Ramos is pleading to the 2018 shooting deaths of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, Rebecca Smith, Wendi Winters and John McNamara.
In June, a judge ordered that the trial was to be held in two parts and granted a request for more time to conduct a mental health review by the state health department.
This guilty plea was entered by Ramos' defense during a pre-trial hearing Monday morning. The court accepted the plea Monday afternoon upon returning from a recess. The plea completes phase one of the trial. Ramos requested a jury trial for phase two, which involves him entering an insanity plea.
While family members and co-workers of the victims were asked by prosecutors not to make statements until the trial was complete, two survivors in the courtroom texted general statements to WUSA9 on Monday.
"Today, representatives of our family were present in the courtroom where the defendant pled guilty to all 23 counts alleged against him," wrote Summer Winters, the youngest of Wendi Winters’ three children. "We miss our mom immensely, and were reminded of the bravery our mom exhibited on that day. Our family is grateful for the support we continue to receive from the community at large. We are relieved that this portion of the trial has concluded, and will make further statements after the trial is complete."
Andrea Chamblee, the widow of Capital Gazette sports writer John McNamara, was readying for the release of a book chronicling the history of Washington, D.C. basketball — a book she finished for her husband — when she and others were summoned to court proceedings.
"Today, my husband's murderer pled guilty to his crimes and my husband's basketball book hit number one on Amazon," Chamblee wrote. "It's a whipsaw of emotions and there's no words for how I feel."
Here's who Ramos is accused of killing. They were editors, reporters and a salesperson.
Gerald Fischman, 61
Fischman wrote for The Capital’s editorials section and edited the editorial page. He also handled editing on Saturday for the Sunday Capital, according to his bio on the Capital Gazette.
He was known for his clever and quirky voice of community newspaper, the Baltimore Sun wrote. Fischman was part of the news organization for 25 years. In an article written by the Baltimore Sun, editor and publisher Tom Marquardt said he was "so smart that he tried out for Jeopardy twice."
Fischman was married to an opera singer from Mongolia, the article by the Baltimore Sun reads. He was a graduate of the University of Maryland's journalism school, according to his LinkedIn profile.
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Rob Hiaasen, 59
Hiaasen worked at the Capital Gazette as a columnist and assistant editor. His feature column appeared Sundays in the Life section of the paper.
Before starting at the Capital Gazette in 2010, Hiaasen was a staff reporter for the Baltimore Sun for 15 years. The Floridian also spent time working as a news anchor and reporter throughout the South, his Capital Gazette bio reads.
In addition to being a columnist, Hiaasen was also an adjunct lecturer at the Phillip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, according to the university's website.
According to Baltimore Sun Hiaasen had just celebrated his 33rd wedding anniversary. The Baltimore Sun added that Hiaasen was known for "his wryly observant writing style and his generous mentoring of young journalists."
Rebecca Smith, 34
Smith was a sales assistant and had just recently been hired at the Capital Gazette. According to a Baltimore Sun article, the 34-year-old started working at the newspaper after she worked in marketing for a health care organization.
Also according to the Baltimore Sun article, Smith lived in Baltimore County with her fiance. The Baltimore Sun added that Smith described herself as an "Endo Warrior" -- a survivor of endometriosis -- and a "Dog Mom. Softball Fiance. Bonus Mom to the bet kid ever."
Wendi Winters, 65
Winters was a special publications editor at the Capital Gazette. She covered all sorts of local news for the newspaper and was the writer for several of the newspaper's columns, including Home of the Week, Teen of the Week, and Around Broadneck columns.
The editor has a background in public relations and worked for two agencies in New York City, her bio for the Capital Gazette reads.
Instead of spending four years at journalism school, Winters wrote in her LinkedIn profile that she acquired many of her skills from public relations, event planning, art design, management, casting and motherhood, among other things.
In addition to being a journalist, Winters was an active volunteer with the Girls Scouts, the Red Cross and other causes. She was also the founder and organizer of the annual P.R. Bazaar. She was a mother of four, the Baltimore Sun reported.
John McNamara, 56
McNamara was a reporter for the Capital Gazette who focused on Bowie, Crofton-West County. He just recently returned to writing features and community news, the Baltimore Sun wrote.
According to the newspaper's website, he worked for the Capital Gazette in various capacities for more than 20 years.
The Baltimore Sun wrote that McNamara was known for his concise writing and his extensive knowledge of sports. He actually left Capital Gazette at one point to follow his dream of sports reporting. Despite leaving sports writing behind, his first true love still remained sports, the article continued.
Baltimore Sun reporter, Jeff Barker said he was a "loyal friend with an infectious laugh and was a willing mentor for young journalists."
The Baltimore Sun article added that he was married to a woman, whom he met while he was going to the University of Maryland.
The sports lover was a fan of rock and folk music.
