Judge assigned to Capital Gazette shooting case
Initial appearance for suspect will be Monday
An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court judge with nearly three decades of legal experience has been assigned to preside over the trial of the man accused of killing five Capital Gazette staffers last month.
Judge Laura S. Kiessling will be responsible for setting a trial date, scheduling other matters and presiding over the trial of Jarrod Ramos, according to an order filed Friday.
Ramos, 38, was indicted last week on 23 counts, including first-degree murder, attempted murder, assault and weapons offenses. An initial appearance is scheduled for 9 a.m. Monday.
Ramos is accused of blasting his way into the Capital Gazette offices in Annapolis with a shotgun on June 28 and killing Rob Hiaasen, 59, an assistant editor and columnist; Wendi Winters, 65, a community correspondent who headed special publications; Gerald Fischman, 61, the editorial page editor; John McNamara, 56, a longtime sports writer; and Rebecca Smith, 34, a sales assistant.
The Capital Gazette is owned by the Baltimore Sun Media Group.
Kiessling, 54, was named the administrative judge for the Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County in April 2015, after serving as an associate judge for five years.
Anne Colt Leitess, chief of the special victims unit for the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, worked with Kiessling in Anne Arundel County and tried cases before her.
Leitess, who is running for Anne Arundel State’s Attorney, praised Kiessling’s knowledge of the law and preparation for court.
Before Kiessling was appointed to the bench, she worked as a prosecutor in the Anne Arundel State’s Attorney’s office from 1995 to 2010. She served as a deputy state’s attorney and chief of the hate crimes prosecution unit, and was a member of the sexual offense and child abuse trial team.
Some might recognize Kiessling, who was seen last year at an Orioles game with Orioles Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. A spokesman for Ripken confirmed Friday that the couple is still dating.