DEFENDANT FOUND GUILTY OF FIRST-DEGREE MURDER AND RELATED CHARGES IN 2014 COLD CASE.
Charity Johnson (Goodwin) was found guilty after a five-day jury trial for the murder of Prakash “Joey” Rampatsingh occurred on June 24, 2014. She was charged in December 2021. Sentencing has been set for July 25, 2023.
The jury found that on June 24, 2014, the Defendant Johnson and her then boyfriend, lured their landlord, Mr. Rampatsingh, to their home in Baltimore City. The pair then kidnapped him and forced him, as a passenger in his own truck, to withdraw money from his account at an automated teller machine (ATM) in Parkton, Maryland. They then drove Mr. Rampatsingh to his home in Hanover, Pennsylvania, with the intent to steal $40,000 that the victim was known to keep in his freezer. They then drove the victim to a cell-tower access road on Falls Road in Hampstead, Maryland, where they proceeded to shoot him in the back of the head, killing him, and leaving him by the side of the road. Mr. Rampatsingh’s truck was later found abandoned in the suburbs of Washington D.C. Police investigation revealed the victim’s truck was captured by police surveillance equipment traveling in the direction of the District of Columbia, with a sport utility vehicle known to be used by the Defendant Johnson travelling ahead of it.
A pre-sentence investigation was ordered by the Honorable Circuit Court Judge Fred S. Hecker, who presided over the trial. The Office of the State’s Attorney for Carroll County was represented by Deputy State’s Attorney Sandra L. Johnson. The case was investigated by the Maryland State Police (MSP) along with members of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and the Westminster Police Department with the assistance of the agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST).
State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker remarked, “this guilty verdict is a testament to the dogged determination of law enforcement, particularly retired MSP Sergeant Anthony Dubas, and FBI CAST Agent Garrett Swick, along with prosecutors and staff of this Office, especially Deputy Johnson, who relentlessly pursued justice for the victim of these heinous crimes, Joey Rampatsingh.”
Previous articles on this topic from other sources:
Maryland State Police Arrest Woman Indicted In Connection To 2014 Murder In Carroll County: https://news.maryland.gov/msp/2021/12/23/maryland-state-police-arrest-woman-indicted-in-connection-to-2014-murder-in-carroll-county/
North Carolina woman arrested for 2014 murder in Hampstead: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/north-carolina-woman-arrested-2014-murder-hampstead-carroll-county
Authorities ID man found dead in Md. as Pa. man: https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/maryland/authorities-id-man-found-dead-in-md-as-pa-man/65-285145406
Hanover man’s death in Maryland ruled homicide: https://www.wgal.com/article/hanover-man-s-death-in-maryland-ruled-homicide/6232281
DEATH IN CARROLL CO. RULED A HOMICIDE: http://sbynews.blogspot.com/2014/06/death-in-carroll-co-ruled-homicide.html
