People who claim to know the 22-year-old Wilton resident police say describe Aaron Ramsey as a troubled youth intensely involved in a Wilton drug scene but who rarely, if ever, displayed the kind of violence that would suggest he was capable of homicide.
Michael Avedis, 22, described himself and Ramsey as “drug friends” who spent time together “on and off” since Ramsey was a freshman at until about one year ago, when Avedis severed ties with Ramsey and others to get clean.
Avedis said he "never could have expected" the events police say transpired Thursday.
“He never had anything remotely toward violent tendencies at all,” Avedis recalled. “He never got in trouble. I never saw him come close to being mad ... I never saw any instability in that kid, ever."
“He was very friendly to me and seemed like a pretty decent dude,” Avedis added.
In a gruesome killing that has , police say Ramsey confessed to beating his 73-year-old father, Edward, with a bench and then stabbing him multiple times after hearing voices, according to affidavits cited by the Wilton Bulletin. Covered in blood himself, Ramsey was picked up by police from a nearby home after trying to break into a car, officials say. , Ramsey has been charged with murder and held on $1 million bond.
A woman who is identified by an emergency dispatcher as "Mrs. Ramsey" during the 911 call that led to Aaron Ramsey's arrest, can be heard saying that her son may have been “on drugs” and had been “acting strange” for more than one week, but there had been no acts of aggression.
During Ramsey's arraignment, a representative from the state Bond Commissioner's office said Ramsey has two prior convictions in Connecticut for possession of marijuana and driving while his license was suspended. He said Ramsey was also convicted in New York for possession of marijuana.
Three former Wilton High School students who claim to have direct knowledge of Ramsey and who spoke to Patch on the condition that their names were not used, say Ramsey's drug use was well known. One of those former schoolmates who claims direct knowledge of Ramsey said he ran with a "sketchy crowd" but also appeared to be a "clear-headed guy" who was "pretty quiet" and nice.
None knew of any issues between Ramsey and his father.
Ramsey never complained about his family life or hinted at any familial trouble, Avedis said, but acknowledged it was never something they really discussed.
“You know, guys don’t like to talk about their feelings and [expletive], and he never really told me anything," Avedis said.
Avedis said the pair used drugs in the school building or on school grounds.
"We would step outside or go into the bathroom," Avedis recalled. Avedis said he was one year ahead of Ramsey at the high school.
“We would be doing coke off science books [from] science class” during Ramsey's freshman year, Avedis said.
Avedis was expelled from the high school halfway through his own sophomore year, when he was 16, he said. Originally from Norwalk, Avedis said he completed his education at a Vermont boarding school, and did not see Ramsey again until Avedis came back to Wilton about three years later. Avedis himself was arrested on of narcotics within a school zone. Then 19 and out of school, Avedis said he spent a few months in prison before release into a rehabilitation program.
Upon release, Avedis and Ramsey became intertwined again in their drug use, Avedis said, painting a picture that was far different from the one captured in the Wilton High School yearbook, which shows Ramsey played varsity football before graduating with the Class of 2008.
Avedis said he had never been to Ramsey’s home on Signal Hill, which has an unusual, dome-shaped roof structure. Edward Ramsey purchased the home—assessed at $736,260, according to tax records—eleven years ago.
The last time Avedis spoke to Ramsey was around “10 or 11 months ago” when Avedis cut ties with Ramsey and all others whom he had used drugs with.
Ramsey, he said, “sounded fine.”
*Editors note: There were two photos accompanying this article which were labeled to be from Aaron Ramsey’s 2008 high school graduation tribute page, but this turned out to be incorrect: One half of the yearbook page was for Aaron Ramsey while the other half of the page was another individual. However, due to a printing error made in the 2008 Wilton Yearbook, this person’s half page was not clearly separated because it contained no information/tribute quotes about this other individual. This individual had nothing to do with any information gathered for this article. We apologize for the error.
