Exeter man sentenced to life in prison for murdering roommate
Published on Friday, August 15, 2025
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that an Exter man has been sentenced in Washington County Superior Court to serve life at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) for the murder of his roommate, 65-year-old Donna MacDonald, in 2022.
On August 13, 2025, Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough sentenced Ramsundar Ramkalawan (age 63) to serve a life sentence at the ACI. On June 23, 2025, following a 7-day jury trial, a jury found the defendant guilty of one count of first-degree murder.
“Through a senseless act of violence, this defendant cut Donna’s life tragically short, leaving her friends and family to forever feel her loss,” said Attorney General Neronha. “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their home. I hope this life sentence serves not only as a deterrent, but also as an example to those that wish to seek accountability for domestic violence. I am grateful to the Rhode Island State Police for their work during this investigation and many others.”
During the trial, the State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant murdered Donna MacDonald.
On July 18, 2022, the defendant and his two roommates, Donna MacDonald and her son, began arguing in their Exeter apartment before all three tenants returned to their respective rooms. Moments later, the defendant put on a pair of gloves, went into the victim’s room, and hit her in the head with a rock eight times.
Several hours later, the defendant entered a gas station below the apartment and reported that he found his roommate unresponsive. Shortly after, members of the Rhode Island State Police (RISP) responded to the apartment where they found the victim deceased.
During their investigation, RISP investigators obtained video surveillance footage from the building which showed the defendant leaving the apartment multiple times to discard items into a nearby dumpster. The RISP also recovered gloves and a rock containing DNA profiles that matched those of both the victim and the defendant. The RISP additionally interviewed the defendant, who admitted to assaulting the victim with a rock.
"Each day, the men and women of the State Police endeavor to prevent violent crime in Rhode Island,” said Colonel Darnell S. Weaver. “We appreciate the work of our partners at the Attorney General’s Office to bring this defendant to justice.”
Assistant Attorney General Mark Trovato and Special Assistant Attorney General Mikala Morrison of the Office of the Attorney General and Corporal Robert Hopkins and Sergeant Herbert Tilson of the Rhode Island State Police led the investigation and prosecution of the case.
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