Elizabeth Ramsey

Case record: Elizabeth Ramsey

Background

Elizabeth Ramsey was the 33-year-old stepmother of Johnathan Ramsey. Johnathan Ramsey was 10 years old at the time of his death.

Johnathan’s father, Aaron Ramsey, was serving a life sentence for the death of Johnathan. Elizabeth Ramsey was also convicted in the same death.

Elizabeth Ramsey had been adopted by her maternal grandparents when she was an infant, and she grew up believing her mother was her sister. Her biological mother was Kathleen Pate.

The offence

Elizabeth Ramsey was sentenced for the 2011 starvation death of her 10-year-old stepson, Johnathan Ramsey.

Prosecutors said Elizabeth Ramsey and Aaron Ramsey locked the boy in his room, slowly starved him on a diet of bread and water, and dumped his emaciated body in a rural area south of Dallas in 2011. Police said the boy’s remains were found the next year in a creek.

A cause of death could not be determined from the bones found, but the boy’s death was ruled homicide by the Dallas County medical examiner.

Johnathan weighed 60 lb when he died. In desperation, he had eaten his own feces. Jurors also heard testimony that Johnathan had Asperger Syndrome.

Police statements and testimony described the steps taken after Johnathan was dead. Aaron Ramsey told detectives he changed his son into his favorite T-shirt, placed him in a sleeping bag, and inserted a dryer sheet to mask the smell of the boy’s body. The sleeping bag was later found with Johnathan’s skeletal remains.

Investigation

Edward Ramsey, Johnathan’s grandfather, contacted police early in 2012 to ask them to search for the child because he had not seen the boy for more than a year.

Johnathan’s biological mother, Judy Williams, and other relatives had not seen him for months. Williams lived in New Mexico and had custody of the couple’s other son.

Investigators testified about finding Johnathan’s skeletal remains wrapped in a blue sleeping bag at the bottom of a creek in April 2012. All that remained of the boy were bones, pajama pants, and a disintegrating T-shirt.

During court testimony, FBI special agent Chris Ford described the drained creek bed where the sleeping bag was found as full of trash and debris. Prosecutor Eren Price asked: “And a sleeping bag with a 10-year-old boy?” Ford responded: “Unfortunately,”.

Arrest

Police found Johnathan’s remains wrapped in a sleeping bag in a creek in an Ellis County creek bed in April 2012, and Johnathan died in August 2011.

Both Aaron Ramsey and Elizabeth Ramsey were arrested on March 30 for the felony of injury to a child. They were being held on $500,000 bond.

An affidavit of arrest said that Johnathan’s maternal grandfather requested a welfare check, and that Aaron and Elizabeth Ramsey tried to explain Johnathan’s absence by claiming he was living with Williams in New Mexico. The affidavit said Aaron Ramsey explained to police that the boy starved to death after he was punished.

According to the affidavit, Aaron Ramsey put the dead boy “in a sleeping bag and threw a dryer sheet inside the sleeping bag for the smell. [Aaron Ramsey] then carried [Johnathan] next door to a vacant house and put him into the storm shelter where he left him for one or two days.”

The affidavit further stated: “transported him to Ennis, Texas where he dumped the body. The suspect led detectives to the location where he dumped the complainants’ body.”

Trial

Elizabeth Ramsey was charged with injury to a child with serious bodily injury, and she faced up to life in prison if convicted.

During opening statements, defense attorney Paul Johnson argued that Aaron Ramsey was responsible for the death and that Elizabeth Ramsey should be found guilty of a lesser crime with a lesser charge: reckless injury to a child. Johnson said: “Aaron Ramsey was the monster. He drug this young woman into this scheme…She wanted to call 911 but he [Aaron Ramsey] wouldn’t let her.”

Johnson also said: “She wanted to call 911 but he [Aaron Ramsey] wouldn’t let her,” and described Elizabeth Ramsey as “an odd duck, a loner … always lived in a dream world, a fantasy world,”.

Prosecutor Eren Price told jurors: “I am not here to tell you she acted alone. There are two people responsible for the death of Johnathan Ramsey,” and stated: “The couple kept the boy away from “anyone who gave a darn about him,”.” Price also said the Ramseys told lies about why family members could not see Johnathan Ramsey by saying he was on a Boy Scout trip, he was at school, and he was playing.

Detective Daniel Greene testified that Elizabeth Ramsey had called 911 from their Northeast Dallas home in early 2011 about random gunfire and later called to report a burglary in progress, which ended up being Aaron entering the home. Greene also testified that there were never calls regarding Johnathan.

Johnathan’s schoolteacher Carrie Liska said Johnathan was never violent but quiet and sweet. Liska told the Dallas News that Johnathan did not play much with other children, which could be attributed to his Asperger syndrome.

Relatives told Dallas News that Elizabeth Ramsey was known for making up stories about her life. Relatives said she had claimed to be an FBI agent and to have been going to earn her doctorate. It was also testified she sent an email to Aaron Ramsey’s mother about having an advanced term miscarriage of triplets.

Prosecutor Eren Price asked Kathleen Pate’s daughter, Elizabeth Ramsey, “Over the years your daughter has made up stories about things. Is that true?” and Ralph Brinkley responded “True,”.

Elizabeth Ramsey turned her head away from the courtroom table where evidence was laid out and could be heard crying when the sleeping bag was displayed. The sleeping bag had been unrolled and placed on a table, and the pajama pants covered in football team logos were also spread out for the jury to see.

Sentencing

On July 23, 2014, a Dallas County jury sentenced Elizabeth Ramsey to life in prison with a minimum of 30 years before she became eligible for parole.

The Dallas County jury imposed the sentence after taking less than an hour to find Elizabeth Ramsey guilty of intentional serious injury to a child in the death of Johnathan Ramsey.

During the sentencing period, jurors heard testimony in the trial’s sentencing phase, where Elizabeth Ramsey could sentence up to a maximum of life imprisonment.

Appeals

No appeal information was included.

Outcome

The jury found Elizabeth Ramsey guilty of intentional serious injury to a child in the death of Johnathan Ramsey.

Aftermath

Relatives described Elizabeth Ramsey as having a short temper. Judy Williams stated: “I just need to just go from here and put my child to rest,” and “Hopefully we’ll have some closure.”

In a recorded police interview played during Aaron Ramsey’s trial, Elizabeth Ramsey said: “I admit I should have done more,” and “In my eyes, I’m as guilty as Aaron,”.