Defense team revealed that Ramos from Laurel, Maryland is expected to plead guilty Monday to killing five Capital Gazette employees in a mass shooting at the office on June 28, 2018.
Police say Jarrod W. Ramos, 39, blasted his way into the Annapolis office with a pump-action shotgun, fatally shooting John McNamara, Gerald Fischman, Wendi Winters, Rebecca Smith and Rob Hiaasen.
Six other employees who were present during the mass shooting survived. Two of the six were injured.
The Capital Gazette is owned by Baltimore Sun Media.
Ramos intends to plead guilty to all 23 counts he’s charged with in the case, his defense attorney said – Once a guilty plea is entered, for the plea agreement to become official, Circuit Court Judge Laura Ripken has to accept it.
Shortly after the attack, Ramos pled not guilty and on April 29 entered Maryland’s version of the insanity plea.
At his request, Judge Ripken ordered the trial split into two phases: one to address whether Ramos committed the crime, a second to address whether he was insane at the time he committed the offenses.

Mourners gathered at the memorials and funerals after Jarrod Ramos shot up The Capital Gazette newsroom in Annapolis, Maryland on June 28, 2018, killing five employees

With his culpability established, the focus of the case shifts to whether the defendant is legally responsible for the crimes, with the onus on the defense to prove Ramos was insane at the time he launched the attack.
Maryland’s standard says that to be found legally insane it must be proven that the defendant at the time of the offense, because of a mental disorder or defect, could not understand what they did was wrong or could not stop themselves from doing it.
For the second phase of his murder trial, Ramos has requested a jury trial for

It has been suggested that the prior  guilty plea could be a strategic move to downplay the “horrific nature of the acts [Ramos] committed”.

Victim: Editor John McNamara was one of the journalists killed by shooter Jarrod Ramos on June 28, 2018 

Editorial writer Gerald Fischman, was one of the victims of the June 28, 2018 mass shooting in Annapolis at the Capital Gazette

Ramos’ intended guilty plea follows more than one year of pretrial hearings and various delays, where prosecutors and defense attorneys argued about what evidence and witnesses would be allowed at trial. Ripken ruled to allow what prosecutors described as damning security footage that shows Ramos working the pump on his shotgun, “methodically hunting,” as employees hid or fled for their lives.

The youngest victim was Ad sales assistant, Rebecca Smith

Forensic doctors with the Maryland Department of Health evaluated Ramos and believed he was legally sane when he committed the alleged crimes. Mental health experts hired by Ramos’ team of public defenders reached a different conclusion, setting the stage for a contested second-phase of trial.

The shooting shook the Annapolis and Anne Arundel County community, as citizens came out in droves to memorial services, vigils and concerts arranged to honor the victims. Employees made sure the newspaper didn’t miss an edition and saw the paper draw national attention for continuing its mission in the wake of tragedy.

Prosecutors indicated early on they were seeking five life sentences without the possibility of parole for Ramos.
That Ramos has a history of threats and harassment, and yet still was able to purchase firearms, prompted Maria Hiaasen to channel at least some of her grief into speaking out on behalf of advocacy groups such as the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.