Jurors heard two very different accounts of Rosa Kramer’s final moments.
Prosecutors made the case that the 47-year-old woman was ambushed and killed in a premeditated attack by her estranged husband, Timothy Kramer.
Kramer’s attorneys, however, argued that Rosa had been the aggressor, a trained martial artist who was attacking her husband with kicks and strikes until he was forced to shoot her in self-defense.
Over Kramer’s three-day trial, jurors will be tasked with weighing the evidence for both sides and deciding which one they believe.
Kramer is indicted for first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated animal abuse for shooting and killing his wife on July 23, 2024, and injuring their dog Cody with gunfire in the process.
Although Rosa and Timothy Kramer’s marriage blossomed at first, their happiness slowly declined over the years until it seemed as though they were “just roommates” passing each other on the way to work. While Rosa wanted a divorce and had moved out of the home in 2024, Timothy Kramer wanted to try and work things out.
On the first day of trial Aug. 4, Rosa’s sister and confidante, Liza Merkman, along with her father, Luis Quiles, described to the jury what they knew of the couple’s deteriorating marriage and their ongoing problems.
Prosecutor Amy Shea asked Merkman if she “got the impression” that there were problems in the couple’s marriage, to which she responded, “Yes.” Asked if Rosa Kramer “seemed happy in the marriage,” Merkman replied, “No.”
Quiles, who was allowing Rosa Kramer to live with him for the two weeks leading up to her death, also testified that he knew the pair’s marriage had problems, saying that he gave advice to his daughter about the relationship.
On July 23, Rosa went back to her house to pick up some of her belongings, which was the last time her father saw her alive.
“My father called me saying Rosa left to go to her house around 6 a.m. to gather some of her things, and she advised him that she’ll be back because he had an appointment he had to go to,” Merkman testified as she battled tears.
After repeated attempts to call Rosa with no reply, the family filed a missing person report with the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. Once ECSO deputies located Timothy Kramer in Milton and obtained a search warrant for their Hillcrest Avenue home, deputies discovered Rosa’s body along with their bullet-injured dog.
State believes Timothy Kramer created a premeditated trap to kill Rosa Kramer
Timothy Kramer, who worked at PetSmart from 3 a.m. to 8 a.m., left work early on July 23—just after 4 a.m.—and went back to his home. The state believes this was the beginning of his murder plan.
“In messages on the 22nd of July, he lures her to the house with the promise of returning certain items that belonged to her deceased mother,” Shea told the jury during the trial. “He tells her to come first thing in the morning so that ‘we don’t have to see each other’ because he would still be at work.
“When he got back to the house, he pulled his car to the back of the house,” she added. “He waited for her at the house.”
According to Shea and investigators, Kramer hid inside the house until Rosa arrived at around 6 a.m. Once there, law enforcement investigators say he fatally shot Rosa and shot their dog in the back bedroom.
Shea told the jury that Rosa Kramer was shot twice in the head, once in the side and once in her knee.
According to text messages between Kramer and his sister, it appears that he confessed to killing Rosa during a phone call. Shea read one of the texts, saying, “Tim, you told me you killed her. I cannot be an accessory to this. I have a fiancé and his daughter to think about.”
Defense argues Timothy Kramer killed his black-belt wife in self-defense
Kramer’s attorneys Andrew Benson and Casey Etheridge told the jury that they believe their client was justified in fatally shooting his wife because he was in fear for his life.
Benson told the jury that Kramer didn’t leave work early to hatch a premeditated murder trap, but rather because he was overwhelmed with his failing marriage. And when Rosa came to the house that morning, Benson claims Rosa was the aggressor and was angry because Kramer failed to sell the house to her before the divorce.
“Please just take your stuff and go,” Benson said, quoting Kramer’s words as the attorney narrated events allegedly unfolded the morning of the shooting. “Rosa becomes angrier.
“Rosa renews her request to buy the home from Tim, and Tim declines again,” Benson said to the jury, quoting Rosa’s response as: “You’re nothing but a piece of (expletive).”
Benson said that Kramer feared for his life because he had “bad knees” and Rosa Kramer was a black belt in karate, which she learned during a previous marriage. He also argued that Rosa became increasingly aggressive and noted that her autopsy report showed she had THC, Xanax and alcohol in her blood at the time she died.
Before Kramer could leave the bedroom, Benson said, Rosa “rushed him” and began hitting him and “kicking him in the knees.”
“Tim bends over, Rosa starts punching him with her fists on the back,” Benson said. “In full survival mode, Tim pushes Rosa back, stands himself up, rushes towards the gun, staggers there and grabs it as Rosa regains her footing and charges at him again.”
That’s when Kramer fired the four shots at Rosa and accidentally shot the dog as he ran between the two, according to Benson.
Kramer’s trial began Aug. 4 and is scheduled to conclude Aug. 6. Kramer’s first-degree premeditated murder charge carries a mandatory minimum life sentence if he is convicted as charged.
Benjamin Johnson is the breaking news, crime and military reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He covers local law enforcement, courts, breaking news and military within Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. He can be reached at bjohnson@pnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola man claims he killed wife, shot family dog in self-defense
Reporting by Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal / Pensacola News Journal
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By Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal | USA TODAY Network
