Murder Trial Ends In Guilty Verdict For Exeter Roommate

EXETER, RI — An Exeter man was found guilty of bashing his roommate's head with a rock, killing her, after an argument.

Ramsundar Ramkalawan, 63, was convicted of first-degree murder Wednesday following a seven-day trial.

Ramkalawan killed his roommate, Donna MacDonald, 65, in July 2022 in their South County Trail apartment.

On the day of the murder, Ramkalawan, McDonald and McDonald's son, who also lived in the apartment, argued, according to a media release from the office of the Rhode Island Attorney General.

Following the argument, the three returned to their rooms, the release said, but a short time later, Ramkalawan "put on a pair of gloves, went into the victim’s room, and hit her in the head with a rock eight times."

Several hours later, Ramkalawan went to a nearby gas station and "reported that his roommate was unresponsive," the release said. "Rhode Island State Police responded to the apartment and found the victim deceased."

Prosecutors previously said Ramkalawan admitted to arguing with MacDonald before striking her with a rock several times.

"Investigators obtained video surveillance footage from the building which showed the defendant leaving the apartment multiple times to discard items into the dumpster," the release said. "Police recovered gloves and a rock containing DNA profiles that matched those of both the victim and the defendant. The defendant was later interviewed and admitted to assaulting the victim with a rock."

A hearing on Ramkalawan's motion for a new trial was scheduled for July 15.