Case of Wadsworth teen convicted of murder recounted on national TV

WADSWORTH — The 2018 murder of an elderly Wadsworth resident by her teenage neighbor was detailed Friday in an episode of Oxygen TV network's "An Unexpected Killer." Gavon Ramsay, then 17, murdered 98-year-old Margaret Douglas in the early morning hours of April 6, 2018, sneaking into his neighbor's home while she slept before strangling her while wearing plastic gloves, sexually assaulting her lifeless body and photographing the heinous acts. Relatives found Douglas' body buried under household items in a closet three days later while performing a welfare check. Police found photos and videos of the crime on Ramsay's cellphone later that month while investigating a separate matter. Medina County Prosecutor Forrest Thompson appears in the new hourlong episode, which is scheduled to re-air Thursday on Oxygen at 1 a.m. and Friday at 10 a.m. "I agreed to do this because (Douglas') family said they wanted to be a part of it," he said. "I think (Oxygen) did a good job with how the facts were presented and the way the actual show turned out. Accuracy was my primary concern from the outset." "The general public had a lot of misunderstandings about how (Ramsay) was identified," Thompson added. "A lot of those questions were never answer because he plead in instead of going to trial." Ramsay, who turns 20 next week, was sentenced by Medina County Court of Common Pleas Judge Joyce Kimbler to life in prison in January 2019 on charges of murder, aggravated murder, kidnapping, gross abuse of a corpse and aggravated burglary. He filed an appeal one month later with the 9th District Court of Appeals, which eventually upheld Kimbler's decision. A case appeal on behalf of Ramsay was dismissed by the Ohio Supreme Court on Dec. 31, roughly two weeks after it was filed. The teen initially pleaded not guilty to charges but later switched to a no contest plea. "The graphic nature of this case made me a bit worried about how it would be presented on television," Thompson said. "But I have to say that it's all been handled with respect and handled very well. I would not have been involved without family member's permission. I made that clear to the producers from the time they contacted me. The family was on board." A frantic effort to locate Douglas is recounted in the new episode, which came to a sudden end when nephew Howard Leasure found her body in the closet. "I touched (Douglas' shoe)," Leasure told Oxygen. "It felt cold and clammy. I thought, 'Oh, my Lord. It's her.' I pretty much lost it. It's something I'll never forget, to find her like that." Other case facts delved into include details of Ramsay's identification, which started with police investigating what were thought to be unrelated petty crimes in the nearby area. Those included a break-in at a construction site where a cellphone had been left behind. That device was traced back to a friend of Ramsay's who linked him to all of the recent incidents. Ramsay reportedly was brought in for questioning where he admitted to the petty crimes and also to a recent carjacking. Investigators brought up Douglas' murder during those sessions but Ramsay reportedly denied any involvement. An ensuing search of the teenager's cellphone garnered horrifying findings — photos and recordings of Douglas taken in her home without her consent. Ramsay then confessed to the killing, saying he'd strangled Douglas when she woke up but before she realized what he was doing. Police also found Douglas' wallet in Ramsay's bedroom and found one of his gloves inside her home. Experts testified that Ramsay suffers from numerous disorders including gaining sexual arousal from the suffering of others. The defense and family members also argued the teen's behavior might have been made worse by taking the prescription antidepressant Zoloft. During the sentencing hearing, Thompson said life without parole was appropriate for Ramsay. He emphasized Ramsay's apparent lack of remorse following the murder and pointed to evidence showing the teen had been writing about murder. State law change could shorten Ramsay's sentence Thompson reiterated concerns Sunday regarding a soon-to-be in effect state law change that could drastically reduce Ramsay's life sentence. Ohio Senate Bill 256 will grant parole eligibility to individuals convicted of violent crimes, including murder and rape, after serving 25 to 30 years in prison if they committed those crimes before turning 18. "I've spoke to the state Legislature numerous times in opposition to this," Thompson said. "I don't agree with it but I have to uphold the law. The people who are pushing this are primarily focusing on the level of brain development of teenagers. They said a person who's acting this way at 17 isn't doing that with a fully developed brain." Those convicted of aggravated murder as juveniles, such as Ramsay, will be evaluated for parole eligibility after serving 25 years if their offense involved the killing of one person. If two people were killed, parole eligibility will be looked at after 30 years. SB 256 also create a new crime classification, aggravated homicide offenses, which involves the killing of three or more people and will still be eligible for a juvenile sentence of life without parole. A new section of Ohio Revised Code states that parole board members must consider factors in the crime related to offenders' age at the time, which for Ramsay was 17. It goes on to say "hallmark features, including intellectual capacity, immaturity, impetuosity and a failure to appreciate risks and consequences" also will be part of future decision making. Changes are slated to go into effect April 12. Ramsay's appeal effort could make its way back to Medina County under these new provisions some time this year, Thompson said. "The appeal court could also impart the sentencing changes under 256 but they can also remand it back to the trial court," Thompson said. "I would anticipate that being this year. The Supreme Court kicked it back to the 9th Circuit and that's when 256 was passed. We're going to be seeing the case again." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330)721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.