Ria Ramkissoon

Case information

Ria Ramkissoon was convicted for starving her one-year-old son to death on the orders of a cult leader.

Background

Ria Ramkissoon was 19 when her son died. She said she joined the cult after she became disillusioned with traditional churches in Baltimore where she lived after moving from her native Trinidad aged 7. She described herself as converting to Christianity as a teenager and later raising her faith within the cult context. She claimed that during her pregnancy her step-father tried to choke her.

Ramkissoon was recruited into the group by members. She testified that she was desperate and that their offer began to sound attractive. She said she had a fear that Javon would be taken away if she did not know what she was doing, and that was when she “took things in my own hands.”

The cult was run by a woman who called herself Queen Antoinette. In a later account of the sentencing and trial, Queen Antoinette was described as operating a strict household under rules tied to biblical principles, including requirements about possessions, contact with family and friends, and restrictions on children and schooling. Queen Antoinette claimed God spoke directly to her, and failure to follow her rules would result in damnation.

The offence

Ramkissoon lived with Queen Antoinette when her son Javon Thompson did not say “amen” before a meal one morning. Ramkissoon said that word was one of the few things Javon Thompson could not say at 15 months old, and Antoinette told her not to feed him until he said it.

Over the next week, Ramkissoon said Javon whimpered and grew sluggish and sallow. She said that when Antoinette relented and told her to feed the boy, it was too late and Javon died in her arms.

Prosecutors and later descriptions of the case said Javon was deprived of food and water because he did not say “Amen” before breakfast. Ramkissoon testified she believed denying him food would cure him, and that she took the “spirit of rebellion” concept literally, believing Javon was demonically possessed and that fasting could exorcise the spirit.

After Javon died in late 2006 or early 2007, Antoinette told followers to pray for his resurrection. Ramkissoon testified that she still believed Javon would be resurrected, and her plea deal contained an extraordinary provision: if Javon came back to life, she could withdraw her guilty plea.

Investigation

Investigators discovered Javon’s body more than a year later. Javon’s body was later described as being placed in a suitcase and left behind when the group moved, including moves involving Philadelphia and New York City.

Ramkissoon said she sprayed the suitcase with disinfectant and stuffed it with fabric softener sheets to mask the odour.

Arrest and pre-trial events

Ramkissoon was arrested in August 2008 and had been held in jail since her arrest. During the plea hearing, she was described as being led into court wearing jeans, a bright yellow shirt, leg chains and handcuffs.

Plea and cooperation

On March 30, 2009, Ramkissoon pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death.

Plea bargain condition and court explanation

During a March 31, 2009 plea hearing, Judge Timothy Doory explained the plea bargain in court, including the condition tied to resurrection. He said:

“It also is specifically noted,” Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Timothy Doory said in court as he described the plea bargain to the boy's mother, “that if the victim in this case, Javon Thompson, is resurrected, as you still hold some hope he will be, you may withdraw the plea, and the charges will be nolle prossed [withdrawn] against you.”

A spokeswoman for the Baltimore state's attorney's office, Margaret Burns, said Ramkissoon could not get out of her obligations if she asserted Javon came back as anything other than himself. Burns said:

“This would need to be a Jesus-like resurrection,” Margaret Burns, the spokeswoman, said after the hearing. “It cannot be a reincarnation in another object or animal.”

Ramkissoon was described as cooperating in the prosecution of other defendants under the condition that charges against her be dropped if the child rose from the dead. Prosecutors said they would drop murder charges against her and that she would plead guilty to child abuse resulting in death.

Trial of co-defendants (testimony)

Ramkissoon testified during the weeklong trial of Queen Antoinette, Trevia Williams, and Marcus Cobbs. Her cooperation was described as helping to secure convictions of all three on charges of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death.

Sentencing

Sentencing in her case

On April 21, 2010, Ramkissoon was sentenced to 20 years in prison, with the balance suspended except for the 19 months she had already served. She was ordered to complete five years probation and to report to a residential treatment facility.

At sentencing, Baltimore Circuit Judge Timothy J. Doory suspended the balance of her 20-year sentence and ordered her to report to a residential treatment facility for young women. The treatment program included Bible study, and she would be required to complete the program before she could live on her own. The program was described as not having a specified length.

Doory also reminded Ramkissoon that she would have to live with knowing she was partly responsible for Javon’s death, and he said:

“You were misled and did not do this with any ill will to your son.”

Explanation of probation and treatment

In later commentary from the prosecution, Assistant State's Attorney Julie Drake described probation and treatment as being based on the case circumstances, including that Ramkissoon had been indoctrinated through classic “brainwashing” techniques into a cult. Drake stated:

“It was clear to everyone who interviewed Ms. Ramkissoon that she had been indoctrinated through classic 'brainwashing' techniques into a cult. She had no malice or ill will toward Javon; quite the contrary, she believed Queen Antoinette was acting in his best interests.”

Drake said she was relieved by the verdict regarding co-defendants but also addressed why Ramkissoon received probation rather than prison time.

Appeals

No appeal information was provided in the case details.

Outcome

Ramkissoon pleaded guilty to child abuse resulting in death and received a sentence of 20 years in prison with all but 19 months suspended, plus five years probation, ordered to complete a residential treatment program.

Aftermath

After her release from custody in 2010, Ramkissoon said she had fully let go of the belief that Javon would be resurrected, allowing her to properly mourn the boy who would have turned six on Saturday. She said:

“None of that had to happen to him. He's in a house surrounded by people who are basically doing this to him,”

and:

“I felt like if anyone had a responsibility to him there that it was me, and I basically gave that up. 'So yeah, that's a difficult thing. To die and to suffer in that kind of way, that's not easy to have to swallow. That's something that I'm very much responsible for, as much as anybody else.'”

Ramkissoon said she joined the cult after moving from Trinidad to Baltimore as a child, and she later said she was often asked how she could still believe in God. She said:

“Coming from a cult, people don't want to hear you talk about God,'

and:

“I may have... approached it the wrong way. It doesn't mean that God isn't true and that the community and love and family don't exist in the right way.”

Co-defendants sentenced in related proceedings (context)

Toni Sloan (who called herself Queen Antoinette) received a 50-year sentence composed of two consecutive 25-year terms, one for second-degree murder and one for first-degree child abuse. Trevia Williams and Marcus Cobbs each received the same 50-year sentence, with all but 15 years suspended for each, and they were described as being placed on probation after release with conditions including staying away from children who are not relatives and avoiding contact with their co-defendants. The judge was described as dismissing first-degree murder charges against the three during the trial, stating he did not believe they intended to kill the boy.

A court statement at sentencing described that the judge found the crime “somewhat mystifying” and said:

“This crime is somewhat mystifying to me,” Doory said at sentencing. “What that means is, you didn't care. And also, you knew you didn't care, and you just let it happen. … Each of you, with varying degrees of responsibility, stood by and watched that child die a horrible death.”

Assistant State's Attorney Patricia McLane described withholding and warning the household members. She said:

“His skin discolored, his eyes sunk in, his lips got chapped,”

and the prosecution described “fear of eternal damnation” as used to control members.

The co-defendants were said to have been arrested in August 2008.

Other details

Ramkissoon testified that she was intimidated by Antoinette, who acted as her own attorney and cross-examined her extensively. Her mother, Seeta Khadan-Newton, was described as sitting in court and reacting emotionally during the plea.

Ramkissoon said:

“I don't have a problem with sounding crazy in court,”

when former acquaintances poked each other and rolled their eyes in the audience.

A juror asked Ramkissoon, via a note handed to the judge, why she trusted strangers with her infant child over her mother, and she responded:

“If you think your son is being offered to the devil by your mother, who you go to?”