SWANTON, OH (WTOL) - The man accused of fatally shooting his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping their 10-month-old child was arraigned Thursday at the Fulton County Eastern District Court in Swanton.
James Ramey, who appeared for the hearing via a monitor from the Correction Center of Northwest Ohio, was arraigned on charges of aggravated murder and violating a protection.
That charge was filed earlier this month, shortly before the murder of his ex-girlfriend Amanda Mangas.
Ramey requested the judge to appoint a public defender to represent him. He declined to enter a plea.
During the hearing, Ramey asked the judge if it was possible that he could face more charges through indictment, to which the judge replied, 'That is correct.'
It is expected Ramey will face more charges as he awaits trial.
The FBI and the Bureau of Criminal Investigations are continuing the investigation into the murder of Amanda Mangas and the kidnapping of her mother and 10-month-old son.
Possibly the main reason the Delta Police Department handed the investigation over to the FBI and BCI is the scale of the investigation itself.
"This is the reason BCI exists: to use our special investigative unit to assist other agencies with an investigation that may be too big to handle," said Dan Tierney of the Attorney General's office. "We were initially requested in some other capacities, but now we have been requested to handle the homicide portion of this case by Delta PD, and the FBI is handling the kidnapping portion."
When both agencies have finished their investigations, the evidence will be handed over to the Fulton County Prosecutor's Office. They will determine if any additional charges will be filed against Ramey.
Ramey remains at the CCNO with a bond of $1 million. However, that number will likely increase if he faces more charges.
Despite the FBI's involvement in the case, Ramey will not face any federal charges.
