x
Breaking News
More () »

Man accused of killing 5 in Capital Gazette newspaper shooting chooses insanity defense

Five people were shot to death in the Capital Gazette newsroom in June 2018.
Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Five wood markers stand in a makeshift memorial outside the Annapolis Capitol Gazette offices for the employees killed by a gunman last week July 2, 2018 in Annapolis, Maryland.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Attorneys for the man accused of killing five people at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, say he is pleading not criminally responsible in an insanity defense.

Lawyers for Jarrod Ramos filed the plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity on Monday. They say in the filing that Ramos is not criminally responsible "because of a mental disorder" in which he "lacked substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct."

Credit: WUSA
Capital-Gazette victims

Five people were shot to death in the Capital Gazette newsroom in June 2018. Ramos was indicted on 23 charges in the attack, including murder.

His trial is set for November.

Credit: WUSA
Jarrod Ramos appears in court for the first time after allegedly shooting and killing five Capital Gazette newspaper employees at their offices in Annapolis, Maryland.

The 39-year-old has been charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Ann Smith and Wendi Winters.

Before You Leave, Check This Out