In the quiet, early morning hours of October 7, 2021, the tranquility of the Highland Estates neighborhood in Park City, Utah, was shattered. John Krieg, a 50-year-old Caucasian male, was found deceased, lying near the roadway of Countryside Circle. An investigation by the Summit County Sheriff's Office would soon uncover a story of a fatal altercation fueled by alcohol between roommates.
Krieg lived in the basement apartment of a home where James Kip Ramsdell, 58 at the time, resided on the upper level. In the hours leading up to the discovery of Krieg's body, the two men had been drinking and got into an argument. The dispute escalated and moved outside the residence. At some point during the confrontation, a small handgun was introduced.
A witness reported hearing the two men arguing and saw Ramsdell with a gun. After the witness went back inside, Ramsdell returned to the home alone. When the witness went to look for Krieg, they found him outside, having sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest. Law enforcement was not immediately contacted. It wasn't until a passerby discovered Krieg's body around 6:50 a.m. that a 911 call was made.
When deputies arrived, they found Ramsdell inside the residence, heavily intoxicated and with a gunshot wound to his own hand. He was taken to the hospital for his injury. Once sober, he was interviewed by investigators and admitted that he "could have shot Krieg." Another tenant later told authorities that Ramsdell had earlier in the evening stated he would kill Krieg.
James Kip Ramsdell was arrested and initially charged with first-degree murder, discharging a firearm, carrying a weapon while under the influence, intoxication, and disorderly conduct. He was held in the Summit County Jail without bail. In September 2023, Ramsdell pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree manslaughter as part of a plea deal. The prosecutor's office cited challenges in proving Ramsdell's mental state at the time of the shooting due to his high level of intoxication as a reason for the plea agreement. In October 2023, a judge sentenced Ramsdell to a term of one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison. During the sentencing, the judge remarked that Ramsdell had made a "terrible choice to combine alcohol, a firearm and an argument with another human being, and in so doing you took the life of an innocent man." John Krieg's family expressed their belief that his death was murder and objected to the plea deal.
