Man gets convicted of first-degree murder

By Suzanne Le Breton
St. Tammany News
Published on Sunday, March 14, 2010 12:26 AM CST

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

A 12-member jury found Ray Brooks guilty of first-degree murder in the 2006 death of a Covington drug dealer.

The jury was chosen Wednesday and testimony was presented for three days in District Judge Richard “Rick” Swartz’s courtroom before the jury returned with the verdict of guilty as charged after deliberating for approximately two hours Friday afternoon.

Brooks, who was 18 at the time, was, according to witnesses’ accounts, trying to rob 40-year-old Scott Ramsey of crack cocaine and the more than $700 he had on his person in February 2006.

Brooks reportedly shot Ramsey in the chest, buttocks and back before leaving him for dead in a ditch outside a blighted home in the 1000 block of North Polk Street in Covington.

Ramsey was a convicted drug dealer who was known to deal crack cocaine in the West 30s neighborhood where he was found dead.

Brooks, who has his own prior arrests for drugs and domestic violence, will now be sentenced to life in prison as the District Attorney’s Office opted to not seek the death penalty in this case.

Swartz will formally sentence Brooks at a later date.

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

Comments

10 comment(s)

Destiny wrote on May 4, 2010 11:24 AM:

" Scott had two daughters. I am his first daughter and I never got a chance to know my dad. I would have really liked to have had the oppotunity to get to know him but I will never have that chance now. "

Kathy Leckie wrote on May 3, 2010 5:47 PM:

" I hope that you live every day remembering what you have done and that his memory haunts you each and every night.

Scott-I will always love you and not a day goes by that I don’t think of you and remember all the wonderful times we had together and the future that was ripped away from us.Tracey-Betty and Mitch-always remember that Scott loved you very much and is in heaven smiling down on you each and every day.

Kathy Leckie "

Kathy Leckie wrote on May 3, 2010 5:46 PM:

" Scott had two beautiful daughters who will never get to see their dad again. They will never have their dad walk them down the isle and will never be able to see his grandchildren. Shame on you Ray for taking him away from us. I really hope that you have a very long life and get exactly what you deserve in there. As for your family, I am sure that they are so unbelievably ashamed that you are a part of their family. I know that if my son had done something like this, I would never forgive him. "

Kathy Leckie wrote on May 3, 2010 5:45 PM:

" I will never forget the day that I received the call from his sister that he had been killed. It was the saddest day of my life. On that day I lost my best friend, the man I was supposed to have shared the rest of my life with and I will never be able to comprehend why this young man decided that he had the right to take away such a wonderful person. Yes, Scott had his problems but who doesn’t? Everyone deserves a chance to prove that they can change and that is what Scott was doing. "

Kathy Leckie wrote on May 3, 2010 5:43 PM:

" I have known Scott for over 23 years and know what type of man he really was. Behind the mask that he put up,he was sweet, loving, caring and had a laugh that could make you smile even in your loneliest hours. I know because I was in love with him and he with me. Scott was supposed to visit me in Arizona the day that he was killed and we had plans for him to move to Az to be together. "

KRISTIE wrote on Mar 22, 2010 9:02 PM:

" It is evident that he was a drug dealer, otherwise he would have not had the drugs and cash on him. It is good to hear that another drug dealer is off the street but sad to hear it happened that way. Crime fighting professionals are out everyday trying to put dealers away. In this situation, Brooks should not get the harsh life sentence for doing what police should have done. "

truth seeker wrote on Mar 22, 2010 11:24 AM:

" 422182-1 12/5/2006 POSS OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA M
407010 1/26/2006 C POSS W/I DISTRIBUTE COCAINE F

THAT IS ONLY A PORTION OF HIS CRIMAL RECORD...YES HE WAS A CRIMINAL "

r.side wrote on Mar 19, 2010 8:43 AM:

" The comments by Ms Gallegos highlights the fact that good people make bad decisions. Yes Mr Ramsey made some bad decisions that eventually cost him his life. If he were in fact a drug dealer, then he cause a significant amount of pain in others lives as well, yet he was loved by his family, who saw him in a different light than those who were his customers, if he was in fact a drug dealer. At least his killer is off the street for good. "

Lynnette wrote on Mar 16, 2010 2:34 PM:

" The sad part about this story is that my daughter has to go through her life without her father because of "drugs". Especially his family going thru life on wanting to know why this has happened. Scott was a very decent, caring and loving man. Somebody took his life over money and drugs? Well, the cold murderer deserves exactly what he deserved. A long life in jail over a very poor decision at an early age.
Sincerely,
The mother of his only child "

Lynnette Gallegos wrote on Mar 15, 2010 2:08 PM:

" How dare you say that Scott Ramsey was a convicted drug dealer and that is the reason why he was killed! He was a decent human being with a family who loved him and his only child who will never get to know her father because of a very selfish 18 year old!Now my daughter who is 16 years old has to live with the loss her whole life. "

WRITE A COMMENT

Use the form below to post a brief comment to this story, or respond to other readers. Please use the word count tool to assist you in keeping your remarks to 100 words or fewer.

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The St. Tammany News is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in thesttammanynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the St. Tammany News. The St. Tammany News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized St. Tammany News spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.