Ganesh Ramsaran Was a Fan of 'Dateline' — Then One Day He Was the Subject of a 'Dateline' Story

When it comes to true crime, people often joke that it's teaching fans how to be better criminals. While they are learning the ins and outs of investigating serious crimes, ne'er do wells might be taking notes. And while no one has proven this is actually happening, at least one murderer was a fan of a popular true crime show. In fact, his story was featured on not one but two episodes.

According to The Daily Star, Ganesh Ramsaran was watching Dateline in February 2013 while chatting via Facebook with a woman who was also watching the show. "The husbands always do it," said Ramsaran jokingly. Perhaps this statement would be funnier if Ramsaran's wife Jennifer hadn't disappeared two months prior. Where is Ganesh Ramsaran now? We doubt he's still laughing.

Ramsaran is currently housed at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. He is currently serving 22 years for first-degree manslaughter. Two years after arriving, Ramsaran attempted to bribe a corrections officer. The Daily Star reported that he offered the officer "$100,000 to help him slip out of the county jail." An extra 5 to 15 years was added to his sentence, though it will be served concurrently.

Ramsaran was first featured in a 2014 episode of Dateline where he told host Andrea Canning how much he loved his wife Jennifer. He also claimed she was having an affair and admitted that he was as well, and it was with Jennifer's best friend. At one point Ramsaran described his life to Andrea and even included his affair. "I had the perfect life. I had a wife. Had a girlfriend. I have kids," he said. So, how did his wife end up dead?

On Dec. 11, 2012, Jennifer told her husband she was running out to buy a dress for their daughter's holiday concert. The couple lived in the picturesque town of New Berlin, N.Y. but she apparently chose to make the 62 mile drive to Syracuse. When Jennifer didn't return home, Ramsaran "contacted the authorities and used the Find My iPhone app to track Jennifer's phone to a nearby area," via WNBF. Authorities later found her abandoned van and two months after that, located Jennifer's body.

Just like Ramsaran said, police looked at him first. Beyond his affair, a search of their home resulted in authorities finding blood on their mattress and a sweatshirt that belonged to Ramsaran. During the trial, the prosecution argued that Ramsaran's motive was a desire to divorce his wife and marry her best friend. They suggested he wanted to collect "$200,000 from a life insurance policy on his wife," and avoid "alimony and losing his share of the real estate and other assets to the victim," per The Daily Star.

Ramsaran maintained his innocence throughout the trial, but it wasn't enough for a jury, who convicted him of second-degree murder. Nearly a decade later he was granted a retrial when it was discovered his attorney misled Ramsaran about his experience, failing to mention he had "never tried any criminal case to completion," said a decision by Hon. Frank Revoir Jr. by way of CNY Central. However, on Oct. 26, 2023, Ramsaran "plead guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter."