NORWICH – Ganesh Remy Ramsaran, 38, of New Berlin, stands accused of having murdered his wife and the mother of their three children on or about Dec. 11, 2012. Charged with second degree murder – a class A-I felony – Ramsaran willingly made his way to the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office for questioning Friday morning at approximately 11 a.m., shortly after being seen working out at the Norwich Family YMCA and after the Chenango County Sheriff's Office informed him they had questions about some discrepancies in the case. He was subsequently placed under arrest. The autopsy was a factor in the arrest, confirmed Sheriff Ernest Cutting, adding that authorities are reluctant to divulge any further details to avoid tainting the jury pool.
Ramsaran was arraigned in Chenango County Court at 1 p.m. Friday and was remanded to Chenango County Correctional Facility on $150,000 cash bail. He is scheduled to appear in the Town of New Berlin Court later this week for a felony hearing.
Jennifer Ramsaran was first reported missing by her husband on December 11, 2012, after he said she failed to return from a shopping trip in Syracuse. A search for the missing woman was conducted by authorities over the next ten weeks while speculation ran rampant throughout the community. Those closest to Jennifer Ramsaran maintained a steadfast and vocal conviction as to her character and devotion as a mother. Her cell phone was discovered by her husband the day after he first reported her missing, located near Moon Hill Road and state Highway 23 in the Town of Plymouth – approximately six miles from where her body was later discovered – using the Find My iPhone application. Shortly thereafter, Jennifer’s father, Thomas Renz, found her 2006 Chrysler Town and Country minivan parked at Plank Road Manor on Plymouth Street in the City of Norwich, approximately six miles from the location of the phone and twelve from where her body was discovered on Feb. 26, 2013, nearly two and a half months subsequent to the filing of the missing persons report. Jennifer’s body was discovered unclothed, down an embarkment off of Center Road in Pharsalia. The body was later identified as that of the missing mother of three.
An almost three month long investigation conducted by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office followed before Ganesh Remy Ramsaran was arrested and charged with his wife’s murder. During his arraignment, held in Chenango County Court approximately two hours after his arrest, Ramsaran’s attorney, James Chamberlain – retained by Mr. Ramsaran shortly before his court appearance – submitted a plea of not guilty to one count of second degree murder on behalf of his client.
“Your honor, the defendant is charged with the murder of his wife, he is facing 25 years to life if convicted, and he was born outside of this country and has every reason to run. I move that he be remanded without bail,” stated Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride during the arraignment proceeding Friday.
Said Chamberlain, “Since December my client has been interviewed by law enforcement agents and has been nothing but cooperative. He was born in 1975 in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, but left in 1987. He does not have a passport, instead he has an enhanced driver’s license. He works from home for IBM and has done so for fourteen years.”
Chamberlain went on to state that his client had also bought a home in Chenango County during the early 2000s and that he is the father of three children. He also stated that Mr. Ramsaran is a respected member of the community who coaches a number of sports, and that he was willing to wear a tracking device and check in with probation as often as requested.
“He is not a flight risk and by these virtues I ask that a reasonable bail be set so that he may continue to care for his family,” concluded the counsel.
In response McBride briefly outlined some of the reasoning behind Ramsaran’s arrest.
It was stated that Ramsaran was involved in an ongoing affair and that Jennifer Ramsaran had an appointment with a divorce lawyer at the time of her disappearance. According to statements made in open court, the last time Jennifer Ramsaran was known to be alive she was in the presence of the defendant. McBride also said that Ganesh Remy Ramsaran told police he had been working on his computer that day, Dec. 11, while the district attorney’s office believes that to be false.
"He went to the YMCA, brought a lot of attention to himself there, saying that his wife had gone shopping," said McBride.
It was also stated that the victim slept naked and was found naked, and that Ramsaran had every motive to kill his wife as he stood to lose half of his assets. It was also alleged that – since the disappearance of his wife – Ramsaran has told people he intends to spend the rest of his life with his alleged girlfriend.
After considering both the defense’s and the district attorney’s arguments, Chenango County Judge Frank Revoir Jr. set bail at $150,000 cash or $300,000 property. A felony hearing was also scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday in the Town of New Berlin Court, at which point the defense will put the Peoples’ evidence to the test as they will have to prove a reasonable cause for the arrest. As of deadline this morning, Ramsaran had not posted bail and remains remanded at the Chenango County Correctional Facility.