John Ashley Altman, a 44-year-old White man from Georgetown, South Carolina, was tragically killed on July 21, 2022, in a double homicide. Altman was discovered deceased in his residence located in the Ringel Heights vicinity of Georgetown County. Also found dead at the scene from a gunshot wound was 30-year-old Emily Richitelli. Altman, born on August 3, 1977, was a local business owner, operating Altman Construction, and was known for his love of adventure, including racing boats and ATVs.
The investigation into the deaths quickly led authorities to a suspect, Ronnie Legrand Todd Jr. Witness accounts from the scene identified Todd as the perpetrator. Investigators believe the motive for the killings was jealousy, as Todd had been in a previous romantic relationship with Richitelli. On the night of the incident, Todd was captured on his own security cameras loading firearms into his truck less than an hour before the 911 call was made reporting the shootings. The call to emergency services was made by Altman's nine-year-old son, who was in the house at the time of the murders and identified the shooter as a close family friend he knew as 'Uncle Ron.'
Ronnie Legrand Todd Jr. was arrested following a brief standoff and faced multiple charges, including two counts of murder and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. During the investigation, a key piece of evidence, a rusty 9mm pistol, was recovered two years later by a resident cleaning up a marshy area where Todd had told officers he had discarded a firearm. In August 2025, a jury found Ronnie Todd Jr. guilty on two counts of murder for the shooting deaths of John Ashley Altman and Emily Richitelli. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
