Texas Man Found Not Guilty For Murder In Burnsville Hotel Due To Mental Illness

DAKOTA COUNTY, Minn. (WCCO) - A 25-year-old Texas man who was charged with the second-degree murder of a 37-year-old man in a Burnsville hotel has been found not guilty by reason of mental illness.

According to charging documents, Ricky Ramirez told police he shot Sheldon Jeremy Williams on July 23, 2021. Williams, of South Carolina, died of multiple gunshot wounds, the medical examiner said.

Ramirez's girlfriend said he started "acting strangely" the day before the shooting, saying someone, possibly the government, was out to get him.

A Dakota County judge on Friday said Ramirez was mentally ill at the time of the homicide, and did not know the nature of his act or that it was wrong.

He will be transferred to a mental health facility.