Last of three defendants plead guilty in Potter County kidnapping and murder case | News

The last of three defendants charged in the 2020 kidnapping, assault and murder of 19-year-old Joshua Ramos of Potter County has pleaded guilty.

Kyle Moore, 33, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and first-degree kidnapping. He is scheduled to be sentenced at 10 a.m. Monday in Potter County Court.

Krysten Crosby, 25, and Felicia Cary, 38, are the two other defendants in the case, both of whom have pleaded guilty to similar charges. Crosby was sentenced to 31 to 62 years in prison. She had pleaded guilty to an additional charge of tampering with evidence.

Cary, who was sentenced Nov. 18, will serve a sentence of 30 to 60 years. None of the women are eligible for the state’s drug treatment program, the state’s boot camp program, or a Recidivism Risk Reduction Reduction (RRRI) sentence.

District Attorney Andy Watson had sought the death penalty against the three defendants in the case. This was not pursued further taking into account the objection agreements.

Ramos, who grew up in nursing homes in New Jersey, dated Crosby. They lived in an apartment building in Galeton with several other people. In late March 2020, Crosby and Ramos had a disagreement and he was said to have pushed her.

According to the complaints, Crosby, Cary, Moore, Ramos and a fifth person – whose name has been redacted – were at a home in Galeton. The fifth person who eventually came forward to tell police about the suspected murder told police that Cary and Crosby were breaking dishes, with Cary using a bat to break them. A short time later, Moore punched Ramos, knocked him to the ground and began kicking him in the ribs. Soon all three were hitting him and insulting him, the complaint says.

According to court documents, they beat him for about an hour and then began humiliating him.

The complaint said they all then got into a van and told Ramos to lie down in the third-row seat. They drove to Ole Bull State Park in Stewardson Township, but continued to Whitman Road in Harrison Township out of fear of being spotted by a trail camera.

On the way, according to court documents, the van was stopped by a Westfield Borough Police officer – Ramos was lying in the third seat under a blanket – to produce a loud exhaust. They were given a verbal warning and sent on their way.

When they arrived at Whitman Road, Crosby, Cary and Moore allegedly took Ramos into the woods. They were gone for about two hours and returned without Ramos, the witness told police. On the way back, the three told the witness that they had left Ramos in the forest and began to brag about their actions. The witness told police he heard the three talking about “how tough the victim was and how he wasn’t going to die,” the complaint states.

On July 6, after the fifth person reported the alleged crime to state police, Ramos’ body was found in a wooded area near the intersection of Harrison Rooks Road and Whitman Road in Harrison Township.

The defendants were arrested and have been held without bail ever since – for more than four years each, from July 7, 2020 until the time of their sentencing. For Cary it was 1,596 days; for Crosby it was 1,516 days.

Moore is represented by Edward Rymsza of Williamsport and Thomas Walrath of Wellsboro. Cary is represented by Clearfield resident Chris Pentz and Potter County Public Defender Walter Stenhach.

Crosby is represented by Joseph Ryan of Reynoldsville and Eric Gurney of Wellsboro.