William Emilio Torres Gautier, left, and Johana Ramos (Photo by Gautier from York County Jail, Photo by Ramos from North York County Regional Police)
A woman has been arrested for allegedly helping her husband tape up her mother’s head and face before authorities found the bound body of the victim – strangled and stabbed with scissors – under a pile of clothes on the floor of his room.
Johana Ramos, 31, was arrested Friday in the murder of Lourdes Ramos Baez, 67, according to North York County Regional Police. Ramos was convicted of felony homicide and criminal conspiracy to commit felony homicide in York County Jail without bail, police said.
Police say she helped her husband, William Emilio Torres Gautier, 42, who was arrested earlier this month. He faces charges of criminal homicide, aggravated assault – fear of imminent grievous bodily harm, terrorist threats with intent to terrorize another, resisting arrest, criminal mischief and abusing a dead body, records court cases reviewed by Law&Crime show.
Officers responded to a June 6 call about a disturbance at a home in Dover, Pa., about 100 miles west of Philadelphia, according to a news release from the North York County Regional Police Department.
When the police arrived, they found Gautier, his wife and their two young children at the back of the house.
As he spoke to Gautier, his wife was seen asking for help, police said.
“The woman indicated that her mother was home and needed assistance,” police said.
Police said that when they were speaking with the family, Gautier’s wife stood behind him and was seen “saying the words ‘help me,'” Lancaster NBC affiliate WGAL-TV reported.
But when police tried to engage Gautier’s wife, Gautier was reportedly upset and pushed a section of wooden fence at officers, hitting one of them, police said.
During the struggle, police said Gautier pushed and spat at an officer and then broke a window and a police car camera system, authorities said.
He was eventually arrested after a brief struggle, officials said.
Police found the victim face down, under a pile of clothes and other debris on the floor of his bedroom, the York Daily Record cited the probable cause affidavit.
“Adhesive tape covered his eyes and face,” reported the Daily Record. “Hangers were wrapped around his neck.”
Her arms had been tied behind the back with clothing and she appeared to have been stabbed repeatedly in the back with scissors. His right Achilles tendon had been severed.
A white substance believed to be salt had been poured over his body, the Record reported.
She suffered blunt force injuries to her head and neck and was strangled, the York County coroner’s office said.
In an interview with investigators, Gautier’s wife said she woke up early in the morning to find Gautier going “ballistic”, WGAL reported.
She said he broke down the door to her mother’s room and she heard the two screams. The woman grabbed their two young children and walked out hearing her mother screaming, the report said.
The woman and the children would have remained outside for several hours. She told police Gautier told them they weren’t allowed back in the house because he was “fixing things” and “using Clorox,” WGAL reported.
The night before he allegedly told his wife he planned to kill Ramos to “take all his money”, police wrote in the report.
His preliminary hearing is set for July 7. His is scheduled for August 1.
Jerry Lambe of Law&Crime contributed to this report.
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