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Woman to remain jailed in identical twin sister's slaying

Amanda Ramirez's public defender says she didn't purposely kill her sister and sought to have her released on house arrest.
Image: Amanda Ramirez is escorted out of the courtroom after a pretrial detention hearing
Amanda Ramirez is escorted out of the courtroom after a pretrial detention hearing June 27, 2019, in Camden, New Jersey.David Maialetti / The Philadelphia Inquirer pool

CAMDEN, N.J. — A New Jersey woman accused of stabbing her identical twin to death during a street fight will remain jailed until her trial on aggravated manslaughter charges.

A state judge issued the ruling Thursday.

Camden County prosecutors say 27-year-old Amanda Ramirez initially denied stabbing her sister, Anna, at the Centennial Village Apartments in Camden early Saturday. They say she later admitted to the stabbing but said she acted in self-defense after her sister got a knife and came at her.

Prosecutors say those claims are contradicted by a woman who saw most of the fight, though she didn't see the stabbing occur.

Amanda Ramirez's public defender says she didn't purposely kill her sister and sought to have her released on house arrest.