In the early morning hours of March 1, 2022, the quiet town of Saint Johnsbury, Vermont, was unsettled by an act of violence that would end the life of a local man. Vincent Keithan, a 44-year-old male resident, found himself in the parking lot of Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital where a confrontation turned fatal. An altercation had reportedly taken place between Keithan and another man, escalating to the point where a single gunshot brought a sudden and tragic end to Keithan's life.
He was discovered with a gunshot wound to the neck and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting launched a swift and intensive investigation by the Vermont State Police. A critical piece of evidence emerged in the form of a Jeep Wrangler that was seen in the vicinity of the hospital at the time of the incident. An alert was issued to law enforcement agencies in the region to be on the lookout for the vehicle and its occupants. The search for the Jeep and the individuals connected to the shooting extended beyond Vermont's borders and into New York state.
Later that same day, the New York State Police located the suspect vehicle on the Taconic State Parkway. A traffic stop was initiated, but the driver of the Jeep refused to comply, leading to a brief pursuit. The chase concluded when troopers successfully deployed spike strips to disable the vehicle. The two occupants then fled on foot into the nearby woods but were apprehended by law enforcement shortly after. The passenger was questioned and subsequently released without charges.
The driver of the Jeep was identified as Jerry Ramirez, a 35-year-old from Brooklyn, New York. Following an investigation into an earlier incident where Ramirez had allegedly assaulted a woman, he was taken into custody. While in custody in New York, the Vermont State Police continued to build their case. On March 16, 2022, after being extradited to Vermont, Jerry Ramirez was formally charged with the second-degree murder of Vincent Keithan. Court documents later revealed that Ramirez had allegedly been searching for Keithan for several hours leading up to the fatal encounter in the hospital parking lot.
