JHANE THOMAS - 11 yo - (2009) / On trial: Mother's boyfriend Richard Ringold - Lawrenceville GA

'He shot me too': Heartbreaking moment cop found girl, four,
after gunman slaughtered her family (and how she had tried to treat her
bullet wounds with Band Aids)

• Nhaje Butler's bravery was revealed during the trial of her mother's boyfriend, Richard Ringold, 47
  
• He is accused of killing her mother and sister as well as two other people
  

By Anthony Bond

PUBLISHED: 05:46 EST, 23 October 2012 | UPDATED: 06:14 EST, 23 October 2012

A four-year-old girl whose mother and sister were shot dead in front of
her revealed the identity of the suspected gunman to detectives, it has
emerged.

When armed police officers arrived at the murder scene in Lawrenceville,
Georgia - at which two other people had also been killed - they heard
shuffling noises from the upstairs of the house.

They pointed their guns in the direction of the noise and demanded that the person reveal themselves.



Horrific: Nhaje Butler witnessed the fatal shootings of her mother Atania Butler,
left, and her sister Jhane Thomas, right. She identified the suspected
gunman to police officers


At that point, young Nhaje Butler came out into the open from behind a stair rail and held up her hands in surrender.

Gwinnett County Police Sergent Kevin Eisenhouer said she then calmly told officers 'he's gone' and said 'Rich killed my whole family'.

The revelations of the girl's extraordinary bravery were revealed during witness statements at the trial of Nhaje's mother's boyfriend, Richard
Ringold, 47.

He could get the death penalty if found guilty of the four murders in August 27, 2009.

Prosecutors say Ringold shot Atania Butler, 28, after the pair had had an argument.

The court was told that, the day before the shooting, she had discovered Ringold was cheating on her with another woman.

They allege that after the pair had had an argument, he shot his girlfriend and then raced through the house shooting at her daughters, Nhaje and
11-year-old Jhane.


In the dock: The revelations of the girl's extraordinary bravery were
revealed during witness statements at the trial of Nhaje's mother's
boyfriend, Richard Ringold, 47, pictured

He is also alleged to have shot Miss Butler's 19-year-old roommate Rico Zimmerman and LaKeisha Parker, 30, who was a blind and mentally challenged woman who Mr Zimmerman was caring for.

The only survivor of the shootings was Nhaje.

Speaking yesterday at the start of the second week of witness statements at the trial, Sergeant Eisenhouer said he picked up the youngster into his arms and asked if she was ok after she emerged in front of police officers at the murder scene.

But she replied: 'No, he shot me, too.'

Sgt Eisenhouer told the jury that when carrying Nhaje outside of the house, he had to cover her eyes as he stepped over the body of her mother which was sprawled across the entrance to the front door.


Tragic: The murders of the four people took place at his house in Lawrenceville

After Nhaje was passed onto paramedics, she asked that they did not cut off her shirt because it had been given to her by her mother and it was one of her favourites.

After lifting the shirt over Nhaje's head, paramedics discovered she had been shot through the chest and left shoulder.

The brave youngster had also placed Band-aids on her chest and arm in an attempt to dress her own wounds before the emergency services arrived.

Now 7, Nhaje is expected to take the witness stand today. Ringold has pleaded not guilty. The trial continues.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2221824/Wounded-girl-4-witnessed-fatal-shooting-mother-sister-revealed-identity-suspected-gunman-detectives.html#ixzz2A84leZ4Z

What a brave little girl. She was smart enough to dress her own wound and smart enough to hide, which might have saved her life.

How incredible! And so sad for that dear child. I hope she has loving relatives to raise her. You are so right Twink, she was unbelievably brave. Poor little thing, after what she witnessed, to come out from hiding with her arms raised in surrender

Richard Ringold accepts plea bargain




7:30 AM, Oct 24, 2012

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- A murder trial has come to an abrupt and
unexpected end for a man accused of killing three adults and a girl
during a bloody rampage at a Gwinnett County home in 2009.

Richard Ringold accepted a plea bargain Tuesday, moments before a
7-year-old girl who survived being shot was scheduled to testify against
him.

Under terms of the plea deal, Ringold pleaded guilty to every crime
in a 10-count indictment, allowing him to avoid the death penalty but
spend life in prison. It brought Gwinnett County's first death penalty
trial since 2005 to a close.

Ringold had earlier pleaded not guilty, claiming that he was playing video games with friends at the time of the killings.


http://www.11alive.com/news/article/261660/3/Richard-Ringold-accepts-plea-bargain