NORWICH – The lead investigator in the Ganesh Ramsaran noted their were several incongruities in Ramsaran’s voluntary statements to police, Tuesday in Chenango County Court.
As the final witness for the prosecution, Lieutenant Richard Cobb testified in court Tuesday to having essentially been in control of the case investigated by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office in 2012 and 2013, barring a brief time when former Chenango County Undersheriff James Lloyd was still employed by the department.
Audio was played for the jury Monday and Tuesday from a recorded discussion between Cobb, Detective Gary Miller, and Ramsaran at Ramsaran’s home on March 22, 2013. At this time, the body of Jennifer Ramsaran had already been located. During the recorded conversation, Ramsaran told detectives again what had happened the day of Jennifer’s disappearance.
Cobb recalled some inconsistencies with Ramsaran’s prior voluntary statements to police. More specifically, Ramsaran said in March that on the morning of Jennifer’s disappearance, he had gone for a run from his Sheff Road home westbound down Route 23, took a left onto Wells Road, and ran to the top of the hill. He then turned around to go back to Route 23, then made his way to Rexford Street, Silver Street, then Mitchell Street in the City of Norwich.
Cobb said the Wells Road and City of Norwich street names were additions Ramsaran had not included in prior discussions.
On the audio recording, when asked by detectives if Ramsaran had touched Jennifer’s iPhone after finding it at the bottom of Moonhill Road in the Town of Plymouth, Ramsaran said no. Ramsaran said he found the phone by using the “Find My iPhone” app, then called 911.
“I never went down there, no way,” Ramsaran said on the recording.
“The last four months, she (Jennifer) changed,” Ramsaran continued on the recording. Jennifer was “always on the [expletive] iPod or iPhone,” he said, adding that he “was the one tucking the kids in and stuff.”
The audio also has Ramsaran telling police that Jennifer had been emailing him locations of possible houses they could move to as a family. One location was Tennessee.
“I had no desire to move,” said Ramsaran to the detectives on the audio. “Forget about the winter; it’s the community, the school system, friends, the children … I didn’t want to uproot them.”
“I would never hurt my wife,” Ramsaran said, insisting that detectives could call him whenever they had any questions.
Cobb referred to the March interview as a “soft interview” and the first “hard interview” with Ramsaran was the day he was arrested for murder on May 17, 2013.
According to Cobb, when authorities became aware that Jennifer often played games online, they attempted to track five individuals with whom she engaged in gameplay.
“Only the lead of Rob Houston gave us any information about December 11, 2012,” said Cobb.
When asked if friends were interviewed, Cobb said, “Jennifer’s only real friend was Eileen Sayles.” Prior testimony revealed that Sayles and Ganesh Ramsaran had been having an affair, which continued after Jennifer’s death.
McBride asked Cobb, “Was there anyone in the world that would have reason to do harm to Jennifer Ramsaran?”
“Not that we could find, no,” said Cobb.
Cobb clarified to the jury that it was his job to keep in contact with Ramsaran prior to his arrest, not to interrogate or get a confession.
Cobb said the strategy changed on May 17, 2013. After examining all of the evidence (the phones, computers and video), “It led nowhere,” he said. “We had no information pointing anywhere but him (Ramsaran).”
Cobb said Ramsaran was called and asked to come to the Sheriff’s Office the morning of May 17, 2013. When Ramsaran arrived, Cobb confronted him about evidence suggesting Ramsaran was not working on his laptop when he claimed to be. Ramsaran was also confronted about emails and times.
According to Cobb, Ramsaran told the two detectives in the room that Jennifer’s phone may have connected to the home’s WiFi at 10:57 a.m. because she may have been putting her shoes on downstairs or pulling out of the driveway.
Cobb said he informed Ramsaran prior to the arrest that video surveillance from local businesses does not show Ramsaran running on the route previously described to police. Cobb also recalled that the defendant said “something to the effect of ‘I’ve gotta be.”
McBride asked what Ramsaran’s tone was throughout the hard interview. “He was upset, bordering irate, and sarcastic once or twice,” said Cobb.
Cobb could not recall if he asked Ramsaran if Jennifer was playing the game the morning of her disappearance.
Cobb said he accused Ramsaran of killing his wife during the hard interview. “He said to me, ‘I’ve never harmed my wife,’” said Cobb. He added that the defendant repeatedly asked how Jennifer was killed, and pointed at a thick case file (which Cobb admitted was blank) and Ramsaran asked how Jennifer was killed.
“At the end of the interview, I told him he was under arrest,” said Cobb. “He wanted to leave and I told him he wasn’t free to go.” Cobb said Ramsaran refused to sit for approximately 20 seconds, and they stood face to face for approximately 15 seconds.
Cobb took to a large map and showed the jury the routes Ramsaran said he took on his run on Dec. 11, 2012. He pointed to where the phone, van and body were found, and showed routes from those points to the Norwich Family YMCA, where Ramsaran said he finished his run.
The investigator showed a possible route from the defendant’s home to where the body, phone, and van were located to the YMCA.
Cobb additionally testified that there was a screenshot found on her iPhone of her lock screen which was dated and timed at Dec. 11, 2012 at 8:27 a.m.
The detective recalled text messages recovered from the victim’s phone regarding divorce and knowledge about the affair with Sayles. According to Cobb, a text message exchange revealed Ramsaran brought up divorce, and Jennifer agreed if it was after the holidays. “She mentioned his relationship with Sayles, and said he could be happy with his trophy wife,” said Cobb.
Cobb said another text message sent from the defendant read that when he (Ramsaran) came back, he would be “back in bed with her again if she gave him sex every night.”
The investigator then read Facebook messages between the defendant and Sayles. The messages mentioned Sayles as the love of Ramsaran’s life, and discussed eloping.
After Ramsaran’s arrest, he made 2,480 calls to Sayles from the Chenango County Correctional Facility. Sayles did not accept the charges of a majority of the collect calls.
Audio from five conversations were played for the jury to illustrate Ramsaran’s tone.
Ramsaran and Sayles professed their love for one another on each of the calls.
“I can’t wait to wear your name on my finger,” said Ramsaran in the recording. “I hate the words affair and mistress. You and I are in love. Jen and I were over.”
In one call, Ramsaran said it was the first time he had ever been in jail. “I’ve never even [expletive] smoked a cigarette and they’re looking at me,” said Ramsaran to Sayles on the phone. “I have seven college degrees and I’ve worked my [expletive] off.”
Another call had Ramsaran recorded saying what was happening to him was unfair. “It’s not right,” said Ramsaran. “What they’ve done is just not right.”
The defendant also mentioned to Sayles on the phone that in November of 2012, Jennifer had said she had been sleeping with someone for more than a year. This was something Cobb said Ramsaran had never mentioned to him any of the instances they spoke.
Conversations with Sayles mentioned her moving into the Ramsaran home, the defendant awaiting the day Sayles was pregnant with his child so he could massage her legs, and some sexual discussions.
Ramsaran’s defense attorney began to cross-examine Cobb but with less than one hour remaining for the court day, court was adjourned and Cobb will return Wednesday for questioning from the defense.
Live updates of the trial will be posted on Twitter @evesunashley.