Lawyers argue over video evidence in newspaper shooting

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Lawyers argue over video evidence in newspaper shooting

2019-10-02 05:42 Last Updated At：05:50

Parts of surveillance video showing the deadly shooting inside a Maryland newspaper in progress are so upsetting to watch that the recording would "unduly prejudice the jury," a defense attorney told a judge Tuesday, while a prosecutor said the video is "the most important evidence in the case."

Elizabeth Palan, an attorney for Jarrod Ramos, focused on part of the recording that shows one of the five victims who died in the attack at the Capital Gazette newsroom trying to escape after being wounded. Palan described it as "inflammatory" and "inherently upsetting to watch."

"It is very graphic," Palan said, adding that still photographs of the scene should be used instead.

Anne Colt Leitess, the state's attorney who is prosecuting the case, told Judge Laura Ripken that she couldn't think of any case law to suggest evidence should be "dumbed down and neutered." She described the video as "the silent witness in this case."

"It's very powerful evidence to show the defendant's intent to kill," Leitess said.

The recording shows Ramos wearing earplugs and shooting glasses and checking to make sure the laser sight on his gun was on before he tries to open a locked door and shoots his way inside, Leitess said.

The video shows sales assistant Rebecca Smith, who later died at a hospital, trying to crawl away after being shot, while two others in the office escape, Leitess said. The video shows Smith after she was shot a third time as she sought to get away, Leitess said, though the video doesn't show her actually being shot.

Leitess described the video as showing the laser sighting flash on the wall, near where photographer Paul Gillespie's head had just been — before he ran out of the office. The video also shows Ramos physically pumping the shotgun as he fires.

"You see him making that motion," Leitess said.

A video recording also shows the back of the office, where police say Ramos had barricaded a door to prevent people from escaping. Video of the front is just over an hour in length, while video from the back is about 34 minutes.

Ripken made arrangements to view the video Tuesday after court. She said she would hear more arguments the next day, and a ruling could come as soon as Wednesday.

Ramos has pleaded not guilty and not criminally responsible, Maryland's version of an insanity defense. He's charged with five counts of first-degree murder and other charges. John McNamara, Wendi Winters, Gerald Fischman and Rob Hiassen also died in the attack.

Police say they arrested Ramos after the June 2018 shooting as he hid under a desk in the newsroom.

Ramos, 39, had a long history of harassing the Capital Gazette's staff. He filed a defamation suit against the newspaper in 2012 that was thrown out as groundless, and he often railed against the newspaper in tweets.

His anger at the newspaper began with an online harassment and stalking case stemming from contact with a high school classmate in late 2009 or early 2010. The woman eventually went to police, and Ramos pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor harassment charge. The newspaper's story about the case touched off a tirade from Ramos.

Defense attorneys have been arguing for weeks over issues relating to discovery, a legal process involving evidence exchanges between the defense and the prosecution, and they have asked the judge to sanction prosecutors. Ripken said Tuesday she believes prosecutors have gone "above and beyond" in supplying information.

Three days of jury selection are scheduled to begin Oct. 30. The trial is set to start Nov. 4.

This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of 'Palan' throughout.

Storms battering the Midwest bring tornadoes, hail and strong winds

2024-05-08 13:32 Last Updated At：13:52

DETROIT (AP) — Severe storms continued to barrel through the Midwest early Wednesday, unleashing a curtain of heavy rain, gusty winds and tornadoes that forecasters warned could spill out of the region.

The tornadoes were first spotted after dark Tuesday in parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, while portions of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri were also under a tornado watch, according to the National Weather Service.

As the storms raged on in the pre-dawn hours Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh warned that a tornado in northeastern Ohio could cross into Pennsylvania. Parts of West Virginia were also under a tornado warning.

Hours earlier in southwestern Michigan, two tornadoes blitzed the city of Portage near Kalamazoo on Tuesday night, destroying homes and commercial buildings, including a FedEx facility that was ripped apart.

There were no serious injuries immediately reported, but city officials said in a news release that the twisters knocked out power to more than 20,000 people. Most of them would be without power until late Wednesday, city officials said.

At one point, about 50 people were trapped inside the FedEx facility because of downed power lines. But company spokesperson Shannon Davis said late Tuesday that “all team members are safe and accounted for.”

Tuesday's storms came a day after parts of the central United States were battered by heavy rain, strong winds, hail and twisters. Both the Plains and Midwest have been hammered by tornadoes this spring.

On Monday night, a deadly twister in Oklahoma tore through the small 1,000-person town of Barnsdall. At least one person was killed and another was missing. Dozens of homes were destroyed.

Aerial videos showed homes reduced to piles of rubble and others with roofs torn off. The twister tossed vehicles, downed power lines and stripped limbs and bark from trees across the town. A 160-acre (65-hectare) wax manufacturing facility in the community also sustained heavy damage.

It was the second tornado to hit Barnsdall in five weeks — a twister on April 1 with maximum wind speeds of 90 to 100 mph (145 to 161 kph) damaged homes and blew down trees and power poles.

Before Monday night's powerful tornado touched down, the National Weather Service had warned that “a large and life-threatening tornado” north of Tulsa was headed toward Barnsdall and the nearby town of Bartlesville.

At the Hampton Inn in Bartlesville, several splintered 2x4s were driven into the south side of the building. Chunks of insulation, twisted metal and other debris were scattered over the hotel’s lawn, and vehicles in the parking lot were heavily damaged with blown-out windows.

Hotel guest Matthew Macedo said he was ushered into a laundry room to wait out the storm.

“When the impact occurred, it was incredibly sudden,” he said.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, who toured the twister's damage on Tuesday, said it was rated by weather researchers as a violent tornado with winds reaching up to 200 mph (322 kph). Stitt said he and legislative leaders have agreed to set aside $45 million in this year’s budget to help storm-damaged communities.

“Oklahomans are resilient,” Stitt said, “and we’re going to rebuild.”

Areas in Oklahoma, including Sulphur and Holdenville, are still recovering from a tornado that killed four and left thousands without power late last month.

The powerful storms come amid a wild swing in severe weather across the globe that includes some of the worst-ever flooding in Brazil and a brutal Asian heat wave.

Across the U.S., the entire week is looking stormy. The eastern U.S. and the South are expected to get the brunt of the bad weather through the rest of the week, including in Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, St. Louis and Cincinnati — cities where more than 21 million people live. It should be clear over the weekend.

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press journalists around the country contributed to this report, including Rio Yamat, Heather Hollingsworth, Colleen Slevin, Jim Salter, Kathy McCormack, Sarah Brumfield and Beatrice Dupuy.

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