NORWICH – Ganesh R. Ramsaran was obsessed with another woman, and because of that - and other circumstantial evidence that will be presented – he murdered his wife, Jennifer Ramsaran, said Chenango County District Attorney Joseph McBride in his opening statement Thursday.
Ramsaran is charged with second degree murder in the death of his wife. McBride said the case deals with issues of sex, divorce, money, deception, and ultimately the murder of the mother of three.
McBride told the jury that evidence will show Ramsaran killed his wife the day after getting back together with his girlfriend. Evidence suggests he killed Jennifer early in the morning Dec. 11, 2012, cleaned up, and left their home with her body in her van at approximately 11:15 a.m., said McBride.
McBride also said evidence will show Ramsaran “dropped the body unceremoniously on Center Road.”
In his approximately 30-minute statement, McBride claimed that Ramsaran was obsessed with his mistress, Eileen Sayles, who has been named a material witness in the case and expected to testify next week.
McBride additionally said in his opening that jurors will hear evidence that the defendant went up to the step-parents of Sayles and told them he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, making “no mention of Jennifer.”
“You will hear evidence that the defendant didn't look for his wife,” McBride said.
According to McBride, the medical examiner was unable to determine the cause of death due to the decomposition and damage to the body.
McBride said Ramsaran also had motive. “We will prove the case by bringing in Jennifer’s family, the defendant’s girlfriend, and Jennifer’s best friend,” said McBride, arguing that because Ramsaran had a girlfriend, circumstances of divorce, alimony, and child support would all come into play. If Jennifer died, Ramsaran could avoid those issues and gain $200,000 in life insurance proceeds, he noted. “This is what was in his mind before he killed his wife on Dec. 11.”
McBride read from an email Ramsaran sent to Sayles after they broke up for a period of time. “You know I would have done everything and anything for you, and for us to be together,” McBride read from the document. “Now ladies and gentleman, one week after he sent this, or just a little bit over a week after he sent that message, he got back together with his girlfriend, and then within 24 hours of getting back together with his girlfriend, his wife was murdered.”
Evidence will show Ramsaran contacted Sayles more than 2,000 times in 2013, McBride added.
A man in London, with whom Jennifer was conversing while playing an online game, sent money to Jennifer via Western Union, said McBride. The morning of Dec. 11, 2012, their conversation ended abruptly and without notice – a way they had never before ended their conversations, according to McBride.
