Ramos made the admission in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, days before his trial was set to begin, according to the Capital Gazette and the Washington Post. Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Laura Ripken accepted Ramos’ plea, according to the Post.
CNN has reached out to Ramos’ attorney and the Anne Arundel County district attorney.
It was the single deadliest day for journalists in the United States since 9/11.
‘A big relief’
Several reporters who were in the Capital Gazette newsroom on the day of the shooting said they were relieved that Ramos pleaded guilty.
Former Capital Gazette reporter Phil Davis said that, while the criminal proceedings are not over, it brings “a certain level of closure.”
“Having to not go through this part of the trial, which would have been an argument of his guilt, certainly seems validating — at least on my own end,” said Davis, who is now a reporter at The Baltimore Sun.
Capital Gazette reporter Rachael Pacella said the guilty plea was “a big relief for me, big emotional release.”
“I definitely feel a little bit better and a little bit lighter after this plea,” she said.
“My thoughts are with the families of the people who died during this tragedy,” Pacella said. “And my thoughts are also just with remembering them and what good people they were and what they meant to people here in Annapolis. … Remembering them is the most important piece.”
CNN’s Brian Stelter, Darran Simon and Rebekah Riess contributed to this report.
Source : CNN