Central Pa man charged in 2016 love triangle death of Adams County co-worker

A Cumberland County man has been charged in the 2016 death of an Adams County man, who authorities say was killed as the result of a love triangle, officials said in a news release.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro and Adams County District Attorney Brian Sinnett said Carly Lybrand Jr., 41, of Carlisle, has been charged with criminal homicide and aggravated assault in the May 12, 2016 death of Fred Ramos from Gardners, Adams County.

Ramos was found unresponsive in his car, which was in the parking lot of O'Malley Wood Products in Adams County.

Officials said an arrest couldn’t be made immediately after the homicide because of uncooperative witnesses and a lack of forensic evidence. It wasn’t until the attorney general’s office got involved that the case moved forward, Sinnett said.

“Quite simply, it is very possible that charges in this case may not have been filed if it were not for the assistance and cooperation of the attorney general’s office,” he said. “It is great to see law enforcement agencies working in such a collaborative manner in the interests of justice and in an effort to hold those accountable who commit violent crimes such as this.”

After hearing testimony, a grand jury determined that Lybrand should be charged in Ramos’ death.

The grand jury’s report alleges that Lybrand and Ramos were both involved with a female co-worker. All three worked at O’Malley Wood Products in Tyrone Township. Lybrand was a supervisor, and the others were laborers.

More:'This was a tragic situation:' Probation for man with BB gun whom York City police shot

More:York Area Regional Police officers help deliver baby girl

Lybrand and the woman lived together then and at the time of the arrest. The report says Lybrand knew that she was in a sexual relationship with Ramos, who supplied her with controlled substances.

The grand jury learned that Lybrand had threatened Ramos, and physically assaulted him. On the morning of his death, Ramos received a threatening phone call from Lybrand and shared that call with several people throughout the day, according to the report.

A text thread in Ramos’ cell phone showed that he told the woman that Lybrand “threatened to kill him unless [he] broke off communications” with her. She responded that the fighting had to stop. Later that morning, she told Ramos via text that she was having car trouble, and asked if he could pick her up after work that night.

Before Ramos arrived at the lumberyard, witnesses said Lybrand was “acting strangely, watching and/or pacing in front of the main door of the business.” They said that around the time Ramos was due to arrive, Lybrand left the building and traveled across the parking lot on a forklift with scrap wood material.

Lybrand returned 15-20 minutes later without the forklift, and a witness said he appeared to be in a panic. The witness told the grand jury Lybrand said he had just knocked out Ramos, and told the worker to check on him in his car.

The witness, Ryan Elmore, found Ramos, and believed him to be dead based on his appearance. Elmore returned to the building, where he found Lybrand and the woman in an office. He told them that Ramos didn’t look good and they needed to call 911.

Elmore told the grand jury that the woman left the office, only to return a few minutes later and accuse Lybrand of killing Ramos. Elmore said Lybrand told the woman, “I did it for you, babe.”

The report says Lybrand called 911 at 8:14 p.m., saying that he found someone who appeared to be deceased in the parking lot, but then identified him as Ramos later in the call. Ramos was barely alive when first responders arrived at 8:17 p.m., and he died shortly thereafter.

Lybrand told Pennsylvania State Police he had nothing to do with Ramos’ death, he just found him in his car in the parking lot. But two witnesses told police they heard Elmore say Lybrand admitted to knocking him out.

An autopsy determined that Ramos died from blunt force injuries to the head. He had a laceration behind his left ear and abundant hemorrhage in his brain.

Police allege that Lybrand struck Ramos through his open car window with a piece of wood. The autopsy showed that the blow to Ramos’ left side of his head was forceful enough to damage his skull on the right side of his head.

Police said Lybrand is being held without bail at Adams County Adult Correctional Complex. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on May 5.

Shelly Stallsmith is a trends reporter for the York Daily Record. She can be reached at mstallsmith@ydr.com or followed on Twitter at @ShelStallsmith.