In the late morning chill of a Wichita, Kansas Sunday on February 5, 2017, a series of events that had been escalating for days came to a tragic and violent end for 40-year-old Richard J. Hamm Jr. A tree trimmer by trade, his life was cut short in the passenger seat of a vehicle, not by a workplace accident, but by a single gunshot to the neck. The man was pronounced dead just before noon at the scene, located at the junction of Kellogg and Meridian.
The incident unfolded as Hamm and his
30-year-old girlfriend, Crystal K. Rotramel, were driving. The couple had been embroiled in a continuous argument for at least a week, and the heated atmosphere inside the car reached its breaking point. As they were pulling onto the eastbound ramp of the highway, the dispute culminated in a fatal shot fired from a gun belonging to Rotramel. After the shooting, the vehicle came to a stop, initially appearing to passersby as a simple traffic accident. One individual who stopped to offer assistance was met with a shocking confession from Rotramel, who immediately admitted to shooting her boyfriend. This good Samaritan then promptly alerted the authorities by calling 911.
When law enforcement arrived, they found a somber scene. Rotramel was sitting on the curb, waiting, while Hamm was discovered lifeless inside the car. She was taken into custody and booked into the Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder. The investigation that followed delved into a troubled and abusive relationship. Court records and testimony would later reveal a history of domestic violence, with Rotramel alleging that Hamm had subjected her to physical abuse, including hitting, kicking, and pushing, and had even threatened her with a gun on multiple occasions.
Ultimately, the legal proceedings took a turn that led to Rotramel's release. In March 2018, a Sedgwick County District Court judge granted her immunity from prosecution, ruling that she had acted in self-defense. The court found that at the time of the shooting, Hamm was shouting at and shoving Rotramel, and had threatened to eject her from the moving vehicle. Based on the evidence of prior abuse and the immediate threat she faced, the judge concluded that her belief that deadly force was necessary to prevent her own death or great bodily harm was reasonable. Consequently, the second-degree murder charges against Crystal Rotramel were dismissed, and she was not sent to prison for the death of Richard Hamm.
