Self-defense raised in fatal stabbing of Manchester man, 68

Alex Wood, Journal Inquirer, Manchester, Conn.
Updated ·3 min read

Jan. 30—The lawyer representing Garry Ramsey, who is charged with murder in the stabbing death of Robert Arthur Callahan Jr. outside Callahan's door in a Manchester elderly housing complex, made clear Monday that self-defense will be at least one of Ramsey's claims during his trial.

MURDER TRIAL

DEFENDANT: Garry Ramsey, 58, of Hartford

VICTIM: Robert Arthur Callahan Jr., who lived in an apartment at 21 Carver Lane in a Manchester elderly housing complex and died at age 68 on June 5, 2021

ISSUES: Self-defense, thoroughness of police investigation

The first witness at the Hartford Superior Court trial was now-retired Manchester police Officer Michael Brouillard, who was the first officer to arrive after the stabbing was reported shortly before noon on June 5, 2021.

Brouillard testified that he asked Callahan, 68, who did it, and Callahan responded, "Garry."

The jury saw those first moments of the investigation via video taken by Brouillard's body camera. Callahan, who was lying on the pavement in front of his apartment in a blood-soaked shirt, quickly stopped responding verbally, only moaning in response to the officer's persistent attempts to keep him talking.

Brouillard testified that there was a woman in Callahan's apartment at 21 Carver Lane, later identified as Tiffany Menendez, who "was hysterical."

Menendez didn't testify Monday, but police have said she gave them information indicating that Ramsey, now 58, of Hartford had committed the stabbing.

Brouillard testified that he went through Callahan's pockets looking for identification and found, along with his wallet, a set of brass knuckles.

Under cross examination by defense lawyer Michael L. Chambers Jr., Brouillard testified that he couldn't tell from the crime-scene evidence who "initiated any physical confrontation" or brought a knife into it.

But the former officer also said under redirect examination by prosecutor Samantha Magnani that no knife was found at the scene. Manchester police Detective Andrew Young, the lead investigator in the case, testified later Monday and said a search that encompassed the inside and outside of the apartment produced no knife.

Young also described a number of other court-authorized searches, including a search of the car Ramsey was believed to have been driving, in which police took several swabbings for DNA evidence.

Young said the purpose of the swabbings was to find out whether the car contained Callahan's DNA. But, on cross examination by the defense lawyer, the detective acknowledged that, even if every swabbing taken from the car tested positive for Callahan's DNA, it wouldn't reveal who started using the knife.

Police obtained a warrant for Ramsey's arrest early in the investigation, and Ramsey turned himself in two days after the stabbing.

Young testified that he saw no injuries on Ramsey at the Manchester police station — and that Ramsey didn't complain of any injuries. But he acknowledged under cross examination by the defense lawyer that he didn't ask Ramsey whether he was injured.

Chambers said at Ramsey's arraignment in Manchester Superior Court on the day of the arrest that Ramsey had suffered injuries, and the defense lawyer wants to put a transcript of those remarks before the jury. But prosecutor John F. Fahey vigorously objected, saying the lawyer's remarks were hearsay and would improperly make him a witness in the trial.

Judge Kevin Doyle said he would wait until Tuesday morning to decide whether the jury could hear the transcribed remarks.

In addition to the self-defense, Chambers raised the possibility that police didn't fully pursue the possibility that someone other than Ramsey might have committed the stabbing. Brouillard testified on cross examination that Menendez had blood on her that she said was her own. The former officer acknowledged that he "didn't question it any further."

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