Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The Year in Homicide

Who reported it best?

"Murder count falls, hopes rise in city" by Justin Fenton of the Sun

"Baltimore not as bloody in '08 with fewer killings" by Ben Nuckols, AP













Reporter Showdown!



Who wrote it best?






Justin
Ben

 Current Results



Life w/o Parole for Cop's Killer

At a hearing today Judge Timothy J. Doory sentenced Brandon Grimes, 23, of the 800 block of Cator Ave. today to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder and a consecutive 18-year prison term for use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. A Baltimore City jury convicted Grimes August 29, 2008 following a two-week trial and deliberating approximately four hours over two days. Prior to the shooting, Grimes had been arrested 17 times in 3 1/2 years.
Details in this case, from the SAO:Troy Chesley
In the early morning hours of January 9, 2007 Brandon Grimes fatally shot Baltimore Police Detective Troy Lamont Chesley, Sr. (right) in the 4500 block of Fairfax Rd. as Chesley was returning home from his shift.

Judge Doory told a courtroom filled with friends and family of Det. Chesley that this case “calls out for punishment” and described the murder as “brazen, cowardly, cruel and unjustified.” Det. Chesley’s mother and brother both delivered victim impact statements to the court prior to the sentencing today.

Assistant State’s Attorney Kevin Wiggins of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

Rite Aid Robber Dies

"A suspect in a robbery of a Rite Aid store in Precinct 11/Essex has died of gunshot wounds suffered in a confrontation with a police officer this morning."

The Ink

The Ink includes the previously overlooked murder of David Woodward, 30, shot Dec. 23, died Christmas Day.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

27 minors murdered in 2008

polymer babyIncluding baby Blevins (#164).

Gary Mann, shot to death in the 5100 block of Palmer Avenue at 7:23 a.m. on December 16 at the age of 24, also appears to be a new addition to the toll that brings the count to 234-- or is he one of our unid'ds?

233?

"Baltimore City police said a man's body was found Tuesday afternoon in Gwynns Falls Park, and they called the discovery a suspicious death"

"Racial disparity still plagues Maryland corrections system"

MD judges lose a week of vacation!

231, 232

Sunday the 28th, Edgar Christopher Mazyck, 39, died after being shot at Edmondson Discount Mart. Mazyck left the store and was shot by an unknown assailant as he walked back inside.

Last night, a man and a woman shot near Druid Hill park, the man has died, the woman is in critical condition.

Four old people charged with murder of Brooklyn teen

Forty-six-year-olds Joseph Richardson and Lawrence Lewis, 43-year-old Virgil Hitchen and 53-year-old Patricia Trusty are being held without bail in the fatal shooting of Steven Graham, 14. According to charging documents, the suspects were seeking retribution for a robbery at a Brooklyn home Nov. 18.

Best Buy Cares Indeed!

So I had a washing machine delivered this morning from the Timonium Best Buy, and on the way out the delivery guy have me this card requesting that I "please take a few minutes to answer some questions" regarding my "delivery experience" ... and he told me that if he didn't get at least two customers to go online every day to delivery.bestbuycares.com and fill out the survey then Best Buy would dock his paycheck!!

That can't be legal, can it?

Monday, December 29, 2008

County police need help to ID gunshot victim

"Baltimore County Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying the body of an adult male, believed to be Hispanic, discovered deceased in the roadway. His body was found in the eastbound lanes of Pulaski Highway east of Stevens Road, 21162 in Precinct 11/Essex."

No S, no M in quintuple shooting

A quintuple shooting: "some of the victims were found Sunday along Wheeler Avenue near West Fayette Street. More victims were found along North Gorman Avenue and in the 100 block of North Benatalou Street." Three victims were female, one was a 16-year-old boy. No suspects, no motive.

The 22-year-old woman found shot to death in Canton last weekend was identified as Alaina Ciara High, apparently a frequent and habitual drug user.

"I have to kill someone for my family," said a 13-year old boy who broke into a woman's home at 10 in the morning, armed with a knife

Police are searching for two missing Landsdowne teens, one of them is suicidal

"Community activists and families of people whose deaths remained unclassified are planning to hold a candlelight vigil outside the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore on Wednesday evening. The vigil, scheduled for 6 p.m., is being held to honor the hundreds of people in Baltimore whose deaths have been ruled 'undetermined' during the past decade."

Take a guess: how many MD law enforcement officers have been killed in the line of duty so far in '08?

Under-trained OB/GYNs lead to a deadly c-section rate in MD

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Prison-Industrial Complex

"... the fastest-growing, least-examined type of incarceration in America, an industry that detains half a million people a year, up from a few thousand just 15 years ago. The system operates without the rules that protect criminal suspects, and has grown up with little oversight, often in the backyards of communities desperate for any source of money and work."

Related Rodricks: Immigrants pay taxes

Friday, December 26, 2008

The good, the evil and the stupid

Early this morning two people were shot at Club 410 at Belair & Moravia Rds. in the NE.

"Police have relocated an 87-year-old after a firebombing attempt on her home in the Walbrook neighborhood, authorities said yesterday. The incident occurred early Saturday morning, two days before she was to appear in court to face her alleged attacker in a March home invasion."

Hermann: "Adrian McFadden was pointing a black six-shot revolver at Avon Ball Jr.'s face and threatening to pull the trigger. Ball's foster brother, George T. Johnson, stared back at the gunman and pleaded, 'Don't shoot him, shoot me.' The gunman obliged ..."

A man was shot at E. Monument and N. Port streets.

Tales of the stupid: A Baltimore man stopped for speeding in Easton was arrested for impersonating a police officer after flashing a defunct Loyola College security badge.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

228

An unidentified man was shot in the head at North Fremont Avenue and Bennett Place.

Hermann follows up on the story of Carlos Woods, a boy caught in crossfire at age 3, now 10 years old.

Trooper fired after getting drunk, kidnapping man, subjecting him to white-knuckle ride in Towson

Three gun-toting felons got some Rod time, including Jermaine Bell, accused of paying $45k for the murders of three harewin-trade rivals (and the DOJ is now publishing press releases as PDFs, how annoying)

Media blabber: Tim Franklin, editor and VP of The Sun, has jumped ship. His successor will be the guy who was the mastermind behind the launch of that wildly popular paragon of intellectual progress, "b." And only good can come of that.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Hearth and Home

More details on the murder of Travis Makofski/Mafoski, 28: he was shot during the course of a home invasion, in which a gun was held to his mother's head. No word on if the suspects were caught (but odds are they haven't been).
Especially between now and Christmas, don't open the door to anyone if you're not sure who it is! It's the most dangerous time of the year right now!

"Police advise crime victim to move"

"Two veteran Baltimore city homicide detectives are facing an internal investigation after allegedly refusing to cooperate in attempts to evict a public housing tenant."

"A Goucher College student who allegedly was sexually assaulted has come forward but is not cooperating with Baltimore County police, police said."

What the?! Dept:
"A man who was convicted of four sex offenses involving a 14-year-old girl is entitled to a new trial because of the way the last member of the jury was chosen, the Court of Appeals held."

"A Prince George's County police lieutenant charged four times this year with driving under the influence passed out behind the wheel of a running police cruiser in one incident, had to be Tasered and pepper-sprayed in another and was at fault in a hit-and-run in a third"

Saturday, December 20, 2008

227

Thaddeus McCauley, 19, was shot to death in the 1400 block of Homestead.

In the county, a man stabbed his "girlfriend" to death

A guy was shot in the leg near City College

LOLZ!! "Chief judge exempts other judges from pay cuts"

In better news, the Medical Examiner's office has complied with the Freedom of Information Act and released information on unclassified deaths as requested by the Examiner.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The futility of it all

An excellent, very depressing CP article about Anna Sowers: "one woman's futile attempt to confront a city's most entrenched problems."

Murder news updates in the Ink, and a sobering stat: if we had NYC's homicide rate, we would have had 38 murders this year (!!)

Why does MD keep hiring other state's rejects? The latest prize pick is deputy secretary for Behavioral Health and Disabilities Renata Henry, run out of Delaware on a rail for her alleged mismanagement of the state's psychiatric hospital.

Arrests for the murder of Rubin Nelson.

What the?! The MVA hired a man convicted of stealing cars, who then allegedly proceeded to ... steal cars.

What the #2?! City police executed a search warrant on the home of Bealefeld's father-in-law.. ISO child porn!

The Innocence Project has filed a complaint with the State Police against the problem-plagued city crime lab

Melanie Blevins, mother of the baby found dead behind St. John's church, was officially charged with murder. Charging docs say the baby may have also experienced "pressure to the neck." Sigh.

QTD: "Honey ... your ex-boyfriend needs an attitude adjustment. The kind given in the workshop sponsored by those famous and esteemed Americans Mssrs. Smith and Wesson."

Report challenges conventional wisdom: Postponements have little effect on conviction rates.

Seven students were arrested after a brawl at Overlea High, and a student's father was arrested for interfering while his child was being arrested. He should hook up with this lady.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Total male in total jail

Fugitive Shawn Green was arrested in PA.

224, 225, 226

A fatal shooting this morning near Pimlico race course

A fatal shooting yesterday evening on the east side at North Lakewood Avenue and East Chase Street

A man was shot to death last night on Fairlawn Ave., reportedly the 3rd person this year to be killed near the Rogers Avenue metro station.

The man stabbed to death on Jack St. last week was ID'd as Larry Gaither, 44.

What the?! A mother was taken to Central Booking and her son and another boy were hauled to juvie after a fracas with a school police officer

Police have obtained a warrant seeking the arrest of two alleged accomplices of Juwann Smith in connection with the theft of cars from the city's impound lot.

it's nice to see someone being exposed to literature

Monday, December 15, 2008

The drama!

A rooftop chase in Washington Village led to the arrests of two attempted robbers

Not one but two idiots incidents in the blotter in which would-be victims grabbed the guns of would be-robbers.

Good news: police report that violence against prostitutes has gone down

Sunday, December 14, 2008

'Domestic incidents'

Dashia Jones-Jenkins, 20, was shot in the 1900 block of Madison Avenue, police say it was a 'domestic incident'

The tragic story of Veronica Williams, killed by her abusive husband in front of the North Ave. courthouse

The Sun reports that the tough economy can "push frustrated men into acts of violence."Quinzell Tyrell Covington

Have you seen Quinzell Tyrell Covington, left, wanted for first-degree murder? Note giant teardrop tattoo.

A man shot in the eye; a man shot in the leg

Chinese Cuisine shooting victim Marvin Edmonds to Luke Broadwater: 'I felt like a piece of nothing'

College students and an employee of the state's attorney's office busted on hairron conspiracy charges

Good point, Greg "Kan": what happened to that $58 million?

Saturday, December 13, 2008

life, it means 4ever and that's a mighty long time

Could MD's death penalty be abolished next year?

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Baltimorean Brian Nichols was spared the death penalty, but a federal death penalty pursuit may still be a possibility

A man survived being shot at Washington & Lafayette Sts. last night.

The feds are now involved in the manhunt for suspected serial rapist Michael Johnson, who's still on the lam in a Chevy Cobalt.

At Goucher College, "it's the sort of campus where everyone is friends, and now there are accused rapists among them .. a disturbing e-mail from the school's president says that insiders are raping their peers." Said a student, "Last night, there were like three Baltimore County Police here, and public safety was like all going crazy."

A Hopkins undergrad was punched for no apparent reason while walking past Blimpie's

Page Croyder blogs about "the drug addiction sham".
and QTD, re. the Ken Harris murderers: "I get tired of reading generalized sentences like Hermann’s, or articles that describe criminals who 'slipped through' the system or the cracks before they commit a truly heinous crime. In order to slip through there first must be an effort to catch them."

Friday, December 12, 2008

You should laugh too if it happens to you

So Dixon is outraged at that video of girls laughing as a man is shot. But any girl who has ever had to play cute to get out of a scary situation will immediately recognize that the "laugher" is a hero-- she did exactly the right thing to save the life or her and her friend!

If "L" had fled or protested or stared at the shooters or looked too interested she might have been killed. But what she did was actually quite smart and her body language tells the story. At first, as the incident begins to go down, she sees what's happening and quickly moves towards the door and her friend. You can see the fear on her face and her shocked expression. Then she realizes they can't get out. She smiles, not towards her friend but towards the shooters, to communicate she's no threat.
She smiles to project "we're giggly girls in our own world, we're not concerned about you," and as soon as she and her friend could safely escape, they do.

That girl is a model. If you're ever in a life-threatening situation like that, you do what you need to get out alive!

Poor Suge, so snitched upon

Nine shootings this week, including two 15-year-old boys, mapped by spotcrime

Police and the FBI raided what JZ's calling a "Crips gang house" at 225 S. Hilton Street this morning

The State's Attorney's Office reports that at a hearing today, Judge John N. Prevas sentenced Anthony White, 24, of the 200 block of S. Smallwood St. to 50 years in prison suspending all but 25 years. White pled guilty October 22, 2008 to second-degree murder in connection to the May 15, 2007 shooting death of Deandre Salmond. Salmond was found shot to death in the 500 block of S. Smallwood St. Last week Judge Prevas sentenced White’s cousin, Patrick Wilkes, to 100 years in prison suspending all but 60 years for the above murder and two separate murders.

Skinny "I hope you catch AIDS in your mouth and your lips the first thing that die" Suge was snitched upon once again, an informant ratted out his illicit prison cell phone.

Laugh so you don't cry?

Luke Broadwater somehow got that video of girls laughing as a man is shot, now it's hit YouTube and will no doubt soon show up on one of those Nancy Grace-ish cable tv shows. It is kind of weird.. why do you think the girls are laughing?

Four defendants were convicted in federal court this week under RICO, prosecutors say Bo, Rock, Weazy and Goo are responsible for five murders, drug trafficking, armed robberies and writing rap lyrics that threatened witnesses.

Report: Angelo Ford (#202) was killed trying to convince drug dealers to relocate

Youths attacked a homeless man
in the blotter

'Fat Eric' Brown, got 30 fat federal years yesterday in connection with the contract murder of Angelo Stringfellow, alleged Baltimore drug lord

Students robbed at a party on Lake Avenue

Yesterday evening, "Police in Baltimore County said an argument over a Play Station led to a 13-year-old boy stabbing his 16-year-old brother."

A Hopkins student mugged on 32nd street

Lots of the theft in the Northern
in the Messenger blotter

HoCo accused killer Antajuan Wilson on why he did it: "I've built my life on not lettin' nobody disrespect me"

Thursday, December 11, 2008

220, 221? 223?

"A man was shot last night on a street in the Ellwood Park-Monument neighborhood in East Baltimore and died later at a hospital."

A man was found shot in the head in Brooklyn, but there may be some question about the cause of his death

The Ink details seven homicides from Dec. 1 through 7, including Leroy Boxdale and Donnell Williams Jr., which I haven't seen reported anywhere else

Mayor horrified by video of carryout restaurant patrons laughing, stepping over shooting victim to get their food. More on the CJCC meeting from Anna Ditkoff

QTD: Bealefeld on violent offenders-- "These folks are not sitting at home contemplating stock futures"

Hermann du jour: "A mother says best thing she ever did was leave city"

The skateboarder of "Cop Vs. Skateboarder" fame is suing the city.

Have sex offender restrictions gone too far?

Like, duh
"City resident wonders if tow truck drivers are on the take"

Greg Kane is apparently the latest victim of the "gang initiation" urban legend e-mail forward

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Shootings, Car Chases and Jackassery

Shootings
A 41-year-old man was wounded in a shooting on the east side last night

Attorneys for Gary Collins, accused in the murder of Ken Harris, plan to challenge the legality of the warrants used to seize his DNA

County dad got 10 years for killing son on Father's day

Car Chases
Hunt continues for the PA alleged serial rapist, the DA says he's a danger to himself. Predictions?

"Baltimore Man Behind Wheel In Wild Two-State Big Rig Chase"

Car stolen from city impound lot resurfaces in VA

Jackassery
Your tax $ at work: we can all breathe easier with a 62-year-old pot-smoking ecologist off the streets

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A 15-year-old is in stable condition after being shot on S. Fulton St. & W. Fulton Ave.

Alleged rapist on the hoof

Michael L. Johnson Jr., the PA official charged with kidnapping and raping a Highlandtown drug addict, is suspected of being a serial rapist and is now on the run in a Chevy Cobalt.

Horrid: mom of four Shanika Pretlow murdered because her "boyfriend" thought she had HIV

According to the SAO, today Tyyea Gee, 23, was found guilty of violation of probation for a new conviction for fourth-degree sex offense and was sentenced to 9 years. But why was he out at all? Says the press release,
In April 2005 Gee was convicted of three counts of Armed Robbery, one count of Robbery and 2 counts of Assault in the first degree. At that time he was sentenced to 15 years with 10 years suspended and placed on 5 years probation upon his release. Gee was released from incarceration on November 9, 2007. While on probation, Gee was arrested on a new charge of fourth-degree sex offense. Gee was convicted on November 20, 2008 and he was sentenced to 1 year in prison by the Honorable John Howard. The new conviction violated Tyyea Gee’s probation.
Today's federal sentences include 10 years for crack and 10 1/2 years for crack & a sawed-off shotgun

More on Ronald Jackson, the 14-year-old murdered while delivering fruit-- police believe it was mistaken identity.

"Two teens charged in backhoe rampage"

County police are looking for a suspect who's robbed three gas stations and assaulted a clerk. Unfortunately, the pictures aren't very helpful.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Tribune = Bankrupt!

It's official, and the WSJ calls it "among the least surprising potential bankruptcies ever."
Horrible news for Sun employees.

And in other grim news, the NYTimes Co. is planning to borrow against its building to stay afloat.

:(

218, 219

Good Jeebus!
A 14-year-old boy was shot to death while taking fruit to an elderly neighbor!

and Darrell Keith, 24, was shot by two unknown men near Park Heights.

Head of the police union Robert Cherry attributes recent homicide spikes to cuts in police overtime, Col. Rick Hite blames "desperate times," and Hermann says "we're just stuck with the rhetoric"

Sunday, December 7, 2008

copious amounts of makeup fighting the ravages of time

The York Daily Record explains Highlandtown to Pennsylvanians: "You look at these women. You can get an STD just looking at them."

Tribune = Bankrupt?

Uh oh. The Wally Jay reports that the Tribune Co., owner of the Baltimore Sun, is "preparing for a possible filing for bankruptcy-court protection as soon as this week." Yike! "The company's cash flow may not be enough to cover nearly $1 billion in interest payments due this year, and Tribune owes a $512 million debt payment in June." The company's been staying ahead of its debt payments so far by selling off assets, but is running out of options.
More from the NYT

217

A man died after being shot in the face in Mt. Vernon

A robbery suspect was reportedly shot after attempting to run a city officer over with his car.

Spotcrime reports a shooting and stabbing on Denmore Ave. near the Pimlico race course.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested for the Sept. murder of Derrick Reed, 15 (#161).

Vocab word of the day: poltroonish, as in, are poltroonish gang members ritually murdering women on Halloween as part of an initiation rite?

Hermann talks to the parents of Annie McCann, who died mysteriously in the city.

& speaking of mysterious deaths, The Examiner makes a good point: even if you buy chief ME Fowler's explanation for the classification of hundreds of deaths as 'undetermined', that still doesn't excuse the office's violation of freedom of information laws!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

216

An unid'd man shot to death in CHuM.

Allegation: teen Timothy Oxendine, indicted for murder last Wednesday, was being bullied by victim Markel Williams.

At Carver vo-tech High, witnesses say a student punched a school police officer with a closed fist, then the officer jumped on top of the student and beat him with a stick!
"An internal review of the incident is being conducted"

Police to stoopin' teens: "You'll be in a place with no homies ... You will understand what it's like to feel vulnerable, about what it means to be sexed into a gang." (?)

Friday, December 5, 2008

ME's Office= Sketchy?

"The state medical examiner is refusing to release basic information — full names and locations — about hundreds of deaths classified as 'undetermined' in Baltimore." The ME's office currently has about 700 deaths in the "undetermined" category, says Peter Hermann (apparently the only guy in the state the ME will speak to).

a 16-year-old girl allegedly stabbed her grandfather in the back six times

... more on the murder of Dawn Williams-Stewart, who was apparently killed trying to leave her psycho husband

Guess what, Dude?!

World's oldest pot stash found!

.. and OJ just got 15... or was it 16? or 33? years in jail. Karma!

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Inactive, Unclassified

Five years after the death of Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Luna, the case is 'inactive'

Janis on one of the city's hundreds of "unclassifed" deaths

Judge's son pleads guilty: some apples actually fall pretty far from the tree

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

#215, and a policewoman stealing cars?

... and what other shiteousness did we miss? Well... eight murders, for starters, including:

A man shot to death in the 3400 block of Park Heights Ave., Hermann reports it was a drug-revenge killing, ravaging, yet defining, the neighborhood

Four homicide victims ID'd: Perrish Parker, 14; Darren Davis, 26; Troy Brown, 45; Alton Alston, 19.

In other craptacular news,
"A Baltimore police officer and her husband are now the targets of an expanding investigation into vehicles stolen from the city’s Pulaski Highway impound lot, a law enforcement source told The Examiner this week."

Methadone mom Vernice Harris is reportedly not doing so well in rehab.

A PA former police officer was arrested for abducting and raping a heroin addict

But in better news, county police arrested one Rex Wesley for the murder of Donna Brown (ex-wife of Warren), and made arrests in two other murders.

Demented dad Mark Castillo was zapped with a Tazer when he tried to walk out of a courtroom in MoCo

Over at the BJ watch, anticipation is building for Empriss' court date

... and Michael Phelps is dating a stripper.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Friday

Domestic killings and police shootings in Baltimore County are apparently free of gender bias.

Donny Moses on a West Baltimore Thanksgiving day triple stabbing: "It was a family gathering, a family argument and a family cutting."

An Arnold man was shot in Annapolis early this morning, and a Hagerstown man was stabbed near the Washington County Hospital.

Hermann on Shock Trauma's attempts to lower DWIs.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

205, 206

An un-ID'd man was fatally shot on St. Lo Dr. near Lake Clifton High School yesterday evening, and police are unsure whether the victim is a teen or adult.

A few hours earlier, a dead man was found in a BMW in Cockeysville.

39-year-old Isiah Benjamin was the man who was fatally shot while sitting in his girlfriend's car in the 6600 block of Eberle Ct. on Saturday night.

Michelle Ha is getting into the Thanksgiving spirit.

Tips on how to shop safe, including "book it to the car and hop in."

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The naked preacher

David Briggs, the alleged nutso who allegedly slashed Aysha Ring's throat, allegedly likes to preach naked. (WJZ has video, but none of it's nekkid.)

Baltimore's schools are as wacky as ever: students attack teachers, parents attack teachers, students attack each other, students attack bathrooms... all we need now is a little bit of teacher-on-teacher action.

Hey, looks like the good folks at North Ave. might be running things at Jessup, too.

The owner of a shady moving company offered to email proof of his company's trustworthiness to Luke B., but the email has yet to arrive.

Ha ha ha, funny funny, ha, that's a good joke. Jackass.