Forensic DNA testing has ruled out the man charged with the 1997 cold-case murder of his estranged wife, Nusinaida Ramos. Rafael Ramos, indicted this June, faces uncertainty as prosecutors deliberate.
Authorities discovered Nusinaida Ramos’s lifeless body on March 10th, 1997. She laid lifeless in the Colin Street apartment she shared with the two young children she had with Rafael Ramos. Investigators believe her murder occurred the day before on March 9th. At the time, Rafael Ramos admitted to visiting the apartment to pick up the children. However, he denied harming his estranged wife.
DNA mismatch
Last week, his defense lawyer announced that forensic testing had definitively excluded Ramos from key evidence. Specifically, that DNA found on the victim’s T-shirt worn at the time of her death was not his.
Prosecutors obtained an indictment against Ramos for second-degree murder in June without waiting for DNA testing results. The so-called “touch DNA” found on the T-shirt was only recently identified as male DNA through advanced testing.
A second T-shirt, which prosecutors suspect may been used in the murder, contained bloodstains matching only the victim’s DNA.
The Westchester District Attorney’s Office has not yet commented on the DNA results or the potential implications for the case.
Grand jury concerns
In another twist, the court expressed reservations about how prosecutors presented the case to the grand jury earlier this spring. While Westchester Court Judge George Fufidio did not elaborate on the specific issues he had with the case’s presentation, defense lawyer Visco had previously argued that the grand jury minutes contained instances where prosecutors relied heavily on hearsay testimony. This other development has the potential to deal a significant blow to the prosecution’s case. And it only adds to earlier concerns raised by Westchester County Judge George Fufidio.
Rafael Ramos has been free on a $1 million bond since the summer. And now, Judge Fufidio granted Ramos permission to remove the electronic monitoring ankle bracelet.
As this case continues to unfold, the implications of the DNA exclusion and Judge Fufidio’s concerns loom large. Both sides of the legal battle are left on edge as they await further developments in this decades-old murder mystery.
