Shoemaker says Westminster murder called for ‘most severe penalty possible’

Carroll County State’s Attorney Haven Shoemaker said imposing a life sentence on Ravi Pansuriya, the Westminster man who was convicted in November of first-degree murder for killing his father, was warranted.

Carroll County averages around one murder case per year, Shoemaker said, and the Pansuriya case was particularly horrific.

“Given the horrific, brutal, and premeditated crime that we’re talking about in this particular instance, the sentence that was imposed was certainly warranted,” Shoemaker said in an interview Wednesday.

Pansuriya was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole by Carroll County Circuit Judge Maria L. Oesterreicher. Shoemaker said Pansuriya was silent during the sentencing.

A jury found Pansuriya, 31, guilty of first-degree murder in November. Prosecutors asked for a life sentence, Shoemaker said.

“I certainly think that the sentence that [Oesterreicher] imposed was more than justified under the circumstances of this case,” Shoemaker said. “We don’t have capital punishment in Maryland anymore. Perhaps we should, but we don’t, so this is the most severe sanction that could be meted out.”

Alexander Cruickshank, an assistant public defender who represented Pansuriya in court, will have 30 days to appeal the sentence and 90 days to ask for a modification.

Shoemaker said he expects Cruickshank to file for some type of relief, but declined to comment as to whether he expects an attempt to change the sentence would be successful. Cruickshank did not respond to requests for comment.

“Judge Oesterreicher is eminently fair,” Shoemaker said. “I think that she’ll keep an open mind and really, I don’t want to speculate much above and beyond that.”

In October 2022, a man found the dismembered body of 59-year-old Dr. Maganbhai Pansuriya on Medford Road outside New Windsor. A few days later Carroll County Sheriff’s Office detectives found Pansuriya’s head and hands in a creek off Old Washington Road.

Dr. Pansuriya was reported missing Oct. 2 by his wife, who arrived home in Westminster to find blood around the house and signs of a struggle in the bathroom, according to a news release. Her son came home soon after driving the family truck.

Investigators later found blood and human tissue in the bed of the truck, as well as on tools in the garage, including hedge trimmers, branch cutters, an ax, a pickax, a baseball bat and a rake. His pants contained the blood and DNA of his father, he was caught on video buying an ax that morning, and the body was found wrapped in linens and a rug from the family home, according to the release.

Dr. Stephanie Dean, the state’s interim chief medical examiner, testified during the trial that Dr. Pansuriya was stabbed 45 times, suffered nine cutting wounds, and had blunt force injuries of the head.

Dr. Pansuriya had not been on speaking terms with his son since the summer, Neeta Pansuriya testified at her son’s trial. Ravi Pansuriya worked as a manager of a Best Western Hotel in Frederick, which was owned by his parents. As Ravi was considered the hotel’s working business partner, he had access to business information and he refused to provide it to his parents, who were unsatisfied with his performance, Neeta Pansuriya told the court.

The case was prosecuted by Melissa Hockensmith, a deputy state’s attorney, and Elizabeth Camuti, an assistant state’s attorney.

“This is a case that cried out for the most severe penalty possible,” Shoemaker said.

Baltimore Sun reporter Dillon Mullan contributed to this story.