Ravi Pansuriya of Westminster guilty of first-degree murder in stabbing death of his father

Thomas Goodwin Smith, Baltimore Sun
·2 min read

A Carroll County jury on Friday found Ravi Pansuriya, 31, of Westminster, guilty of first-degree murder in the Oct. 2, 2022 death of his father, Maganbhai Madhubhai Pansuriya, 59, a doctor who lived in Westminster.

Pansuriya’s trial began Tuesday. The jury reached a verdict in Carroll County Circuit Court at about 2 p.m., Friday.

Judge Maria Oesterreicher said sentencing would occur at a later date.

The mutilated body of Maganbhai Pansuriya was found Oct. 2, 2022, on the shoulder of Medford Road in Westminster, near New Windsor, lying partially in the roadway. The body was wrapped with linens, a rug from the Pansuriya home, and duct tape, according to the news release, and Ravi Pansuriya’s fingerprint was found on the adhesive side of that duct tape.

The victim’s head and hands, most likely removed after he was deceased, were found by sheriff’s detectives three days later in Morgan Run off Old Washington Road, according to the news release.

Stephanie Dean, interim chief medical examiner for the State of Maryland, testified during the trial that Maganbhai Pansuriya was stabbed 45 times, suffered nine cutting wounds, and had blunt force injuries to his head, which contributed to his death, according to a news release from the Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Neeta Pansuriya testified against her son in court on Tuesday. She said Ravi Pansuriya returned home, showered and had dinner with her on the evening of Oct. 2. Her suspicion that something was amiss grew over the course of the day, beginning when her husband failed to answer his phone or call her back earlier in the day, and continuing as she discovered an increasing amount of carnage around the house, she testified.

Maganbhai Pansuriya had not been on speaking terms with his son since the summer, Neeta Pansuriya told the court.

Ravi Pansuriya worked as a manager of a Best Western Hotel in Frederick, which was owned by his parents. As Ravi was considered the hotel’s working business partner, he had access to business information and he refused to provide it to his parents, who were unsatisfied with his performance, Neeta Pansuriya said on Tuesday.

Alexander Cruickshank, an assistant public defender, represented Ravi Pansuriya. The case was prosecuted by Melissa Hockensmith, a deputy state’s attorney, and Elizabeth Camuti, an assistant state’s attorney.