Judge Denies Bond In 2012 VA Murder Case Still Awaiting Trial

A judge has denied bond to a Virginia man who is charged with capital murder regarding the 2012 death of his one-year-old son. Prosecutors believe that the same man killed his own mother and his girlfriend.

In a report by Fox News, the man has been identified as Joaquin Rams and his son was identified as Prince. The killing took place in 2012 and he was charged in 2013. As for the mother of the child and the death of his girlfriend, he has not been charged in these cases yet but prosecutors believe he should be held responsible in those deaths. Rams' mother, identified as Alma Collins, she died in 2008 while his girlfriend, Shawn K. Mason, was shot dead in 2003.

Prosecutors have brought murder charges against Rams for the death of Mason but they withdrew it as they wanted to bring the trial for Prince's death first. Collins' death on the other hand, was ruled as a suicide but prosecutors argue she might have been suffocated to death, NBC News reported.

Defense attorneys asked a Prince William County judge, Craig Johnson, on Wednesday to have Rams put on home confinement as his trial will not begin until 2017. The attorneys of the defendant said it is unfair for Rams to be in jail as he awaits trial. Johnson has rejected the bond request saying the trial was delayed at the request of the defense adding that Rams has another reason to flee as he now knows he is facing death penalty.

In a report by ABC News, Rams has been jailed since 2013 after he was arrested for the death of his son. His son died when he went on an unsupervised visit with Rams. It was the fourth unsupervised visit that Rams had with his son. The boy's mother, Hera McLeod, opposed the unsupervised visits as she feared for her son's life.

Despite prosecutors saying that they have a strong case, defense lawyer Christopher Leibig said that it might not be the situation since the cause of death of Rams' son is now listed as undetermined. Initially, a medical examiner said that Prince's death was a drowning incident but has since been overruled. Rams also told officials that he gave his son a cold bath in attempt to stop a fever-induced seizure.

Leibig wrote in a court motion that the strength of the case has "changed significantly since a grand jury indicted Mr. Rams."

Tags

Joaquin Rams, Joaquin Rams news, Joaquin Rams case, Murder, one-year-old son Prince, mother, girlfriend, bond denied, judge, awaiting trial, 2012 murder case, 2003 shooting

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