ANNAPOLIS, Md. _ Jarrod Ramos, the man charged in the Capital Gazette shooting, made his first court appearance Monday and will stand jury trial within a year.
Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Laura Kiessling set a trial for Jan. 15, 2019, to last about 10 days. She also granted a good cause motion by public defender Bill Davis to extend the plea deadline until Oct. 24 and set a motions hearing for Dec. 18 and 19.
Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams is seeking life without the possibility of parole for each of the five victims.
Ramos, Davis and Adams met Monday morning to set dates for motion hearings and trial in the Capital Gazette case, then appeared in court to enter the dates into the record. Ramos wore glasses, a green prison shirt and pants, and tan flip flops with white socks in the Annapolis courtroom. The 38-year-old Laurel man, confined in leg irons, had long hair and a beard.
Ramos faces 23 different charges related to the Capital Gazette attack, including five counts of first-degree murder in the killings of Gerald Fischman, Rob Hiaasen, John McNamara, Rebecca Smith and Wendi Winters _ all Capital Gazette employees. Police arrested Ramos inside the Capital Gazette office at 888 Bestgate Road, after a gunman shattered the glass front doors and opened fire.
He has pleaded not guilty to the counts. Last week, Davis indicated in filings the defense might consider a plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity.
Davis filed a motion Aug. 13 arguing the defense has "good cause" to extend the plea deadline in order to consider the insanity plea. Maryland law requires a defendant enter a plea of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity when the defendant enters his or her official plea.
A hearing on the state's motion to protect witness information was also requested by Davis.
Adams' motion indicates the state will call survivors and representatives of the victims as witnesses, but requests Kiessling withhold information about those witnesses from the defense.
