Authorities: Capital Gazette shooting suspect sent threatening letters before attack

The suspect accused of killing five people in the Capital Gazette newsroom last week reportedly mailed a series of threatening letters before the attack.

The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that 38-year-old suspect Jarron Ramos sent three letters before the shooting at the Annapolis, Md., newspaper.

A letter sent to the law office of The Capital Gazette’s former attorney, reportedly from Ramos, declared the objective of the shooting was “killing every person present” at the paper.

{mosads}The document is reportedly signed by Ramos and dated days before last week’s shooting.

The Anne Arundel County Police told The Sun that letters also were sent to the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and to a Baltimore city judge.

Police spokesman Marc Limansky declined to describe more of the content but said the letters included Ramos’s name and return address.

“They’ll examine them and see what the letters show,” Limansky said. “It could point to different things. It could maybe open up another avenue of exploration.”

Ramos had sued The Capital Gazette, and the state’s top court refused to hear his appeal when he failed.

The defamation case revolved around the newspaper publishing a detailed column about Ramos allegedly harassing a woman. 

That woman spoke out on Monday about being “tormented and traumatized and terrorized.”

A document sent to the law office appeared to be a “Motion for Reconsideration” from the court.

“You were too cowardly to confront those lies, and this is your receipt,” the document says. “I told you so.”

The newspaper’s former publisher, Thomas Marquardt, told The Sun that the letters are “chilling.”

“It’s well plotted,” Marquardt said. “This guy was thinking about this for an incredibly long time. It’s unfortunate that nobody knew it.”

Authorities identified Ramos after the shooting by using facial recognition software because his fingerprints were allegedly damaged or altered beyond use.

He has been charged with five counts of first-degree murder.