Ronnie Todd Jr. will spend the rest of his life in prison with no chance of parole after a South Carolina jury found him guilty of killing two people he once considered close — his ex-girlfriend, Emily Richitelli, and his friend, John “Ashley” Altman.
The shootings happened on July 22, 2022, and from the start prosecutors described the case as a targeted act driven by jealousy and control. They told jurors that Todd tracked Richitelli’s location, learned she was at Altman’s home, and drove there armed, determined to kill them both.
The evidence they laid out was stark. Security camera footage from Todd’s own home showed him retrieving firearms from his garage safe less than an hour before the 911 call reporting the murders. Inside that safe, investigators found a distinctive type of 9mm ammunition with a “corkscrew” tip — the same brand found at the crime scene and in Altman’s body.
Prosecutors also read Todd’s own words back to the jury. In the days before the shooting, he texted friends things like, “I will blow their brains out and burn down the house,” and “I’m killing some people when I get home. No question about that. I love her and it’s over.”
The killings happened late at night. Altman’s 9-year-old son testified that he was in the bathroom when he heard the gunfire. He recognized the voices and even heard his father call Todd by name. Knowing Todd as “Uncle Ron,” the family dog didn’t bark that night. The boy hid until he thought it was safe, then ran to a neighbor’s house to call 911. In that call, he named Todd as the shooter.
Investigators later learned Todd had told police he threw one of his guns into a marshy area. They didn’t find it at the time. Two years later, a Georgetown resident on community service picked up a rusted 9mm pistol in that same area and turned it in. Its corroded state made forensic testing impossible, but prosecutors argued its location lined up with Todd’s admission.
Todd never confessed. His defense argued that angry messages and heated words didn’t equal murder and tried to plant doubt about the gun and other evidence. But after hearing closing arguments, jurors needed just 30 minutes to return guilty verdicts on both counts of murder.
Sentencing began immediately. Victim impact statements came from Richitelli’s mother and sister, who spoke of her resilience and the life she was rebuilding after surviving addiction, and from Altman’s children, one of whom said he still texts his father’s phone, hoping the nightmare will end.
Judge Michael Nettles handed down life sentences for each murder, to run at the same time. Todd, who showed little emotion throughout the trial, offered no words in his defense. For the families in the courtroom, the verdict brought justice — but no end to their loss.
