Ishemer Ramsey is charged with homicide, felony conspiracy to commit homicide, hindering apprehension, misdemeanor abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and conspiracy charges in relation to the murder of Melissa Barto in 2017.

A 23-year-old Lyndora man opted Wednesday for a non-jury trial to determine if he killed his girlfriend, Melissa Barto, in 2017.

Ishemer Ramsey is charged with homicide, felony conspiracy to commit homicide, hindering apprehension, misdemeanor abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and conspiracy charges. He has maintained his innocence as he sits in Butler County Prison on no bond since his arrest on June 22, 2017. Leading up to a jury being selected in his case, Ramsey's lawyer, Christopher Capozzi, informed Judge Timothy McCune that his client wants to waive his constitutional right to hold a jury trial in favor of a bench trial, otherwise known as a non-jury trial. Prosecutors agreed to the move and McCune permitted the case to move forward without a jury.

“This just makes it easier for everyone going forward,” said Assistant District Attorney Terri Schultz. Capozzi declined to comment.

McCune followed his decision up by recusing himself from the case, citing his intimate knowledge of the case as a disqualifying prerequisite. The case will now be rescheduled to Judge William Shaffer.

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