Tracy Allen Hampton

Case record: Tracy Allen Hampton

Background

Tracy Allen Hampton was staying with Charles Findley and Findley’s girlfriend, Tanya Ramsdell, at 802 East Roberts Road in Phoenix. Ramsdell was five months pregnant at the time of the shootings.

On May 16, 2001, two Department of Public Safety officers attempted to serve a traffic ticket on Hampton. The officers went to the home where Hampton had been staying. Hampton was not there, but Findley and two women were. Findley showed the officers a photograph of Hampton to demonstrate that he was not the man they were looking for, and the officers left.

The offence

On May 17, Hampton had an argument with Charles Findley in a back room of the house. During the course of the morning, Hampton, Findley, Misty Ross, Shaun Geeslin, and two others named Tim Wallace and Stephanie smoked methamphetamine.

At about 10:30 a.m., Wallace and Stephanie left the house. Hampton later left with Geeslin, leaving Ross behind with Findley. Ramsdell was asleep in a bedroom at the house.

Around noon, Hampton and Geeslin returned to the home. Hampton and Geeslin entered a room at the back of the house where Findley was kneeling on the floor. Hampton turned on a CD player to a loud volume, walked in front of Findley, and called out his name. When Findley looked up, Hampton shot him in the forehead, killing him.

Hampton then went to the bedroom where Ramsdell was sleeping, slammed open the door, walked to the bed, and shot her in the head. Ramsdell and her unborn daughter died as a result. Hampton then joined Ross and Geeslin in Geeslin’s truck. After asking whether he had any blood on his face, Hampton said he was hungry and asked to be taken to get some food.

Investigation

Inmate Hampton was charged with two counts of first degree murder for the deaths of Findley and Ramsdell, and one count of manslaughter for the death of Ramsdell’s unborn child.

Arrest

Hampton was arrested on May 31, 2001.

While in the Maricopa County jail in August 2001 awaiting trial, Hampton shared a cell with George Ridley. In exchange for a plea bargain, Ridley testified at Hampton’s trial. Ridley said Hampton admitted to committing the murders and told Ridley the story of the murders every night for two weeks that the men were cellmates.

Ridley testified that Hampton told him he killed Findley because “he was a rat.” Ridley also testified that Hampton said he killed Ramsdell because Hampton was affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood and thought that Ramsdell was a “nigger lover” who was pregnant with a Black man’s child.

Ridley testified that Hampton allegedly told him he “thought it was funny” that Ramsdell had slept through the shooting of her boyfriend, and that Hampton bragged that he was able to shoot Ramsdell in pretty much the same place he shot Findley.

Ridley further testified that before leaving the house, Hampton knelt down next to Findley’s body and whispered in his ear:

“I want to let you know I took care of your nigger loving old lady and her little coon baby, too. Don’t worry, they didn’t feel a thing.”

Trial

The State filed a Notice of Aggravating Factors on May 7, 2002, specifying two factors:

1. A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(8) (2002) (multiple homicides)
2. A.R.S. § 13-703 (F)(6) (especially heinous or depraved)

On May 2, 2002, the jury found Hampton guilty of two counts of first degree murder and one count of manslaughter.

After the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Ring v. Arizona (“Ring II”), 536 U.S. 584 (2002), the aggravation and penalty phases of the trial were conducted before a new jury.

That jury found both murders to have been committed during the commission of one or more other homicides. The murder of Ramsdell also was found to have been committed in an especially heinous or depraved manner.

In the penalty phase, the jury unanimously determined that any mitigation proven was not sufficiently substantial to call for leniency.

Sentencing

The superior court imposed separate death sentences for each of the two murder convictions.

For the manslaughter conviction, the court sentenced Hampton to an aggravated term of twelve and one-half years, to run consecutively to the death penalties.

Appeals

A direct appeal of the capital convictions and sentences was filed with this Court pursuant to Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure 31.2(b) and 26.15. Hampton also appealed the manslaughter conviction and sentence.

Outcome

Tracy Allen Hampton was sentenced to death on January 27, 2003.

Maricopa County CR2001-008991:

• Count 1: Murder First Degree of Charles Findley committed on May 18, 2001; sentenced to Death
• Count 2: Murder First Degree of Tanya Ramsdell committed on May 18, 2001; sentenced to Death

The court also addressed the manslaughter charge:

• Count 3: Manslaughter committed on May 17, 2001 Sentencing set for January 27, 2003.

Inmate Hampton was to submit to DNA testing, and it was recommended that Counts 1, II, and III run concurrently.

Timeline

• May 16, 2001 — Two Department of Public Safety officers attempted to serve a traffic ticket on Hampton; Findley showed the officers a photograph of Hampton and they left.
• May 17, 2001 — Hampton shot and killed Charles Findley and Tanya Ramsdell at 802 East Roberts Road in Phoenix; Ramsdell’s unborn daughter died as a result; an argument occurred between Hampton and Findley in a back room.
• May 31, 2001 — Hampton was arrested.
• August 2001 — Hampton shared a cell with George Ridley while awaiting trial; Ridley testified later pursuant to a plea bargain.
• May 2, 2002 — The jury found Hampton guilty of two counts of first degree murder and one count of manslaughter.
• May 7, 2002 — The State filed a Notice of Aggravating Factors specifying A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(8) (multiple homicides) and A.R.S. § 13-703(F)(6) (especially heinous or depraved).
• June 24, 2002 — The United States Supreme Court decided Ring v. Arizona (“Ring II”), 536 U.S. 584 (2002); aggravation and penalty phases were conducted before a new jury.
• January 27, 2003 — The superior court sentenced Hampton to death for both murder convictions (and addressed the manslaughter sentencing).

Other details

The Phoenix Police Department stated that on May 18, 2001, the defendant shot and killed Charles Findley and Tanya Ramsdell at 802 East Roberts Road in Phoenix.