Jury selection began Monday morning in the trial of a 31-year-old Westminster man charged with murder in the death and dismemberment of his father last October.
Ravi Pansuriya is charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 2, 2022 death of his father, Maganbhai Madhubhai Pansuriya, 59, a doctor who lived in Westminster.
Judge Maria Oesterreicher presided over the courtroom on Monday. Alexander Cruickshank, an assistant public defender is representing Pansuriya and Carroll County State’s Attorney Melissa Hockensmith is prosecuting the case.
Carroll County State’s Attorney special counsel Mike Stewart said final selection of a jury is likely to occur on Tuesday, along with opening statements from the prosecution and defense.
“The prosecutor’s job is to establish the elements of the crime in accordance with the charging document, no more no less. That’s the case,” Stewart said. “This case has been in the news, but it’s a fairly straightforward case. As far as cases go, there’s nothing out of the ordinary about how you approach prosecuting the case.”
Ravi Pansuriya had his first court appearance last November, and though Marylanders have the right to be tried for a crime within 180 days of an initial circuit court appearance, Pansuriya waived his right to a speedy trial during an April 6 hearing. The trial was originally set to begin on May 1, but was rescheduled after Cruickshank told Judge Brian DeLeonardo on April 6 that he needed extra time to properly review an outstanding report from the medical examiner.
An autopsy of Maganbhai Pansuriya’s remains, found Oct. 2 on the shoulder of Medford Road in Westminster, had been delayed due to the condition of the body.
According to the statement of probable cause filed in the District Court of Maryland for Carroll County, Maganbhai Pansuriya’s wife reported him missing Oct. 2 and deputies from the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant on his home.
During the search, investigators “observed what appeared to be possible human flesh” on the rear bumper of a truck registered to Maganbhai Pansuriya and on a doormat in the home’s driveway. Deputies located blood throughout the home, including in the bathroom and garage and also found “numerous tools” that appeared to have blood, tissue and hair on them in the garage. Deputies also found clothes with suspected blood on them that they say belonged to Ravi Pansuriya during the search, according to the statement.
