Former Sing Sing correction officer Rafael Ramos arrived at Westchester County Court on Thursday with the expectation that the murder case against him for the 1997 killing of his estranged wife, Nusinaida Ramos, could be dismissed. However, to his surprise, prosecutors revealed a new indictment, indicating that the legal battle will continue despite the recent surprising DNA results.
The unsolved murder
On March 9, 1997, Rafael Ramos allegedly strangled and beat Nusinaida Ramos in her Yonkers apartment. Despite their estrangement, Nusinaida shared the Colin Street apartment with the two children she had with Rafael. The following day, concerned relatives called the police, leading to the discovery of Nusinaida’s lifeless body.
During the investigation, authorities interviewed Rafael Ramos, who confessed to being present in the apartment on the day of his wife’s death. However, he claimed his visit was solely to pick up their children and denied any involvement in her suspected murder. It wasn’t until 25 years later that criminal charges were finally filed against Rafael Ramos.
Cold case charges
In June 2023, the Cold Case Bureau of the Westchester District Attorney’s Office played a crucial role in the indictment of Ramos for second-degree murder. The hope was that the new DNA evidence would strengthen the case against Ramos in connection with the murder of his late wife. However, in October, the results revealed that the DNA found at the scene did not match his, ruling him out as a suspect.
Westchester Judge George Fufidio expressed his dissatisfaction with the grand jury presentation, raising concerns about the heavy reliance on hearsay evidence. He even hinted at the possibility of dismissing the indictment.
Ramos and his attorney hold the belief that the case could be dismissed due to these factors. However, last week, a grand jury returned a new indictment, and Ramos once again pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder.
During the ongoing legal proceedings, the defense plans to question the reliability of the prosecution’s main witness, who happened to be Ramos’ girlfriend at the time of the murder. They aim to depict her as a woman with a grudge, as Ramos terminated their relationship following the tragic incident, as reported by Jonathan Bandler of LoHud.
Rafael Ramos is currently out on bail.
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