Portsmouth man pleads guilty to 2015 murder of girlfriend

Tearful family members of Yolanda McArdle recount how tragedy impacted them

EastBayRI.com ·

PORTSMOUTH — Fighting back tears, murder victim Yolanda McArdle’s teenaged son recounted in Superior Court today all the things that he and his mom were cheated out of due to her brutal and sudden death at the hands of her boyfriend, Raymond E. Ramsey.

“Since she has been gone, my mind hasn’t been set right … thinking about … how she won’t be able to see my kids when I get older or how she won’t be there when I get married or be there to see me graduate. There’s a lot of things she’s missing out on,” James McArdle Jr. told Superior Court Justice Stephen P. Nugent after Mr. Ramsey, 51, of Portsmouth, pleaded guilty to murdering Ms. McArdle, 42, in September 2015.

Under the terms of the plea agreement in which he forfeited his right to a trial, Mr. Ramsey was sentenced to life in prison for the charge of second-degree domestic murder. He was also sentenced to serve 10 years concurrently for violating a no-contact order, and he must also attend violence prevention classes. 

In exchange for the guilty plea, the state dismissed a simple assault charge as well as a notice labeling Mr. Ramsey as habitual violator. 

Had the case proceeded to trial, the attorney general’s office said it was prepared to prove that on Sept. 8, 2015, Mr. Ramsey stabbed Ms. McArdle multiple times, causing her death.

James McArdle was one of three family members to offer impact statements during the emotional hearing, which was attended by about two dozen people. The others were from James’ father, James McArdle Sr. (the victim’s ex-husband) and the victim’s youngest child, Marissa McArdle, who was not present but had her statement read to the court by Special Assistant Attorney General Ania Zielinski.

“It ruins Mother’s Day for me. Just think of how a child would feel without their mother on Mother’s Day,” Marissa wrote in her statement. “My mom will never be able to attend my wedding when I get older. If I have kids when I get old, my mom will never be able to meet them.”

Marissa said she couldn’t understand why Mr. Ramsey would take her mother’s life. “I can’t imagine anything that would make a person so angry to be able to end another human’s life. I don’t understand this whole thing, but I will miss my mom for the rest of my life,” she stated.

James McArdle Sr. was in the courtroom but also chose to have Ms. Zielinski read his impact statement. He said his ex-wife was not only slight of stature — she stood just 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed 125 pounds — but also suffered from multiple sclerosis at the time of her death.

“There was no way she was a threat,” Mr. McArdle said of his ex-wife. “The children will suffer the rest of their lives. She definitely didn’t deserve this. Hopefully my family can find some closure and some peace of mind.”

James Jr. acknowledged that he and his mom were once very close but “fell off” over the years. “Just because we fell off doesn’t mean anyone had the right to take her life,” he said between tears. “My mom was a good woman. Maybe she wasn’t healthy and mentally stable but she used to put a smile on everyone’s face and made everyone happy.”

He closed his statement by saying he hoped Mr. Ramsey “seeks forgiveness.”

Eleven stab wounds

Here’s the attorney general’s office’s account of what transpired the night of Sept. 8, 2015:

At about 10:30 p.m., Portsmouth Police received a phone call from an individual who lived downstairs from the defendant and victim in the Bay View Estates apartment complex, 100 Almeida Terrace. The neighbor reported hearing loud noises from the apartment directly above hers.

Portsmouth Police Officer Kyle Hurley was first on the scene and when he knocked on the apartment door, Mr. Ramsey partially opened it.

Officer Hurley observed a large amount of blood on the defendant and on the floor of the apartment, she said. He also observed a female, later identified as the Ms. McArdle, lying motionless and covered in blood on a nearby bed.

“The officer ordered him to the ground at gunpoint,” Police Chief Thomas Lee said at a press conference in 2015, shortly after the murder. “The victim was stabbed multiple times. It really was a horrific scene.”

Mr. Ramsey, who was bleeding from his chest area, was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment for what appeared to be stab wounds to his chest and right hand. While being transported to the hospital, and multiple times while being treated there, the defendant said his wounds were self-inflicted and that he had murdered Ms. McArdle.

An autopsy conducted by the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Ms. McArdle sustained 11 stab wounds to her body, including to her scalp and skull. A tip of the knife blade that was missing from the crime scene was later found imbedded in Ms. McArdle’s skull during the autopsy.

Portsmouth Police determined there was an active no-contact order between the defendant and victim that had been granted to Ms. McArdle by a Newport Superior Court judge in June 2015, shortly after Mr Ramsey was arrested on his third domestic assault charge.

Mr. Ramsey, wearing a dark prison jumpsuit and sporting glasses and a goatee, answered affirmatively when Judge Nugent asked if he understood the plea deal.

However, when asked if he had been satisfied with the performance of his defense team, led by Jason Ollman, Mr. Ramsey responded, “I don’t believe you want to hear what I have to say about that, and that’s as far as that goes.”

Mr. Ramsey also questioned one portion of his plea agreement. “If I’m pleading guilty, why am I not allowed to apply for a sentence reduction?” Mr. Ramsey asked.

Judge Nugent responded that he gives up that privilege as part of the plea agreement. 

“So you’re saying pleading nolo (no contest) is the same thing as pleading guilty?” he asked. 

The judge responded “Yes.”

‘Happens all too often’

Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin called the incident a tragic case of domestic violence that escalated to murder. 

“Unfortunately, it happens all too often. I hope that anyone who is in an abusive relationship sees this as a wakeup call that it can happen to them and seek help from law enforcement, domestic violence outreach organizations, and family to safely escape the violence,” he said. 

The investigation was led by Portsmouth Police Detectives Michael Morse and A.J. Bucci. 

Ms. Zielinski, along with Assistant Attorney General Roger Demers, prosecuted the case on behalf of the attorney general.

Raymond Ramsey, domestic violence, Bay View Estates, Portsmouth Police