May 31

Fascinating! FBI agents have searched the home of MD Senate Budget Committee Chair Ulysses Currie.

"Three people were shot, including one by police, during a spate of unrelated violence late Thursday and early yesterday in the northeastern and downtown areas"

Broadwater reports that new charges were filed last week against Brandon Grimes; the alleged cop-killer also allegedly assaulted a jail employee. And he also allegedly has a girlfriend-- how depressing is it to hear that if you're a single guy ISO love!

Do I detect cynicism, Ms. Linskey? "Christopher Shaw has avoided prosecution three times. In November, prosecutors dropped a drug-distribution case. Four years ago, they dropped a charge of murder; two years before that, it was an assault charge that was dropped. But this time, prosecutors say, it will be different."

Never a dull moment at Casa del Garmin: 17 years for Hollins Market hair-ron; jail for a crooked yearbook salesman; an MTA officer headed to the hoosegow for burning his own car. And, of course, the PDJ.

HarfCo is investigating the death of a jail inmate, 25-year-old Justin Eugene Bolden.

Brandon Grimes Not Guilty of Gun Charges

From the SA's office:

Late today a Baltimore jury found Brandon Grimes, 23, of the 800 block of Cator Avenue, Baltimore not guilty of handgun crimes, including prohibited possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, following less than 2 hours of deliberation.

The counts against Grimes originated early afternoon on April 13, 2006 after a car stop near his home. The allegations included that Grimes tossed a handgun into an adjacent yard after exiting his vehicle and entering his home on Cator Avenue, following a car stop by officers on routine patrol.

Grimes was found not guilty on all counts following a jury trial before Judge Wanda Heard.

Castillo Re-Arraignment Explained

From the SA's office:

Today the State filed formal written notice of its intent to seek an enhanced penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole in the case of Mark Castillo, 42, of Rockville, MD.

Under Maryland law, the State must file notice of its intention to seek enhanced penalties 30 days or more before the first trial date; his trial date is Aug. 22, 2008. A decision as to whether or not to file for the death penalty has not been made at this time. That decision will be made by State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy. She is reviewing all the pertinent court papers in this case and is also awaiting the court medical evaluation. There is no timeline other than meeting the 30-day requirement as mandated by law.

May 30

Michael S. Falls was arrested and charged with killing his 63-year-old girlfriend, Josephine House, in her N. Port St. home on Tuesday.

The body of 18-year-old Steven Parrish was found at a Baltimore County cemetery. Police have no motive or suspects in the murder.

21-year-old Christen Hawkins' beaten body was found behind a pool in Laurel.

Shannon Dudley is the guy who got stabbed at a bus stop on Charles and Baltimore on Tuesday night. It sounds like his only crime was waiting for the bus. Safe and reliable, baby, safe and reliable.

There's a whole lotta shootin' goin' on. And stabbin', and carjackin', and other assorted misbehavin', too! (WMAR's got video about the police shooting in the Southeastern.)

Shawn Lee Gray says 'Reds' was driving the car that hit and killed a Dundalk biker, but police say Shawn's a liar.

Damn. The Examiner isn't pulling any punches with this one: "Man accused of raping teen sentenced to 20 years - Not even her mother believed she was raped."

1.5 years for kiddie porn? Is Balto County getting soft on pervs?

The Frednecks don't put up with kiddie porn, though: Larry Cordell got 25 years for "making videos of sex acts with boys and distributing them through the Internet and elsewhere." This is his second conviction for child sex abuse. I can't even put in writing what I hope happens to his ass in prison, but let's just say it involves lit firecrackers and watermelons.

In HoCo, a kid was gonna bring a gun to school, but then he played hookie instead. In almost equally exciting news, I was gonna vacuum my house last night, but then I talked to one of my friends on the phone instead.

Crackheads and stockbrokers alike reported great excitement at the headline "Clean Air Act means healthier coke production." Then they read the story and didn't care.

There were probably some sort of fancy schmancy shenanigans going on with the sale of the Paramount Hotel on N. Howard St., but even after reading the article, I don't understand what the hell any of it means. White collar crime is, like, totally hard.

What's a Re- Arraignment?

A re-arraignment in the case of allegedly demented dad Mark Castillo is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. tomorrow before the Honorable Gale E. Rasin, Room 509, Courthouse East.

The first arraignment didn't take?

May 29

Thanks for the stories*, readers...
Ppatin notes that:
Omar Spriggs, who was injured in a quadruple shooting on May 15, has died.

Attempted murder charges against Brandon Allen have been dropped because the only witness against him was murdered a couple of weeks ago.

The ME has found that 63-year old Josephine House was strangled to death. Police say there were no other signs of foul play, and they have no potential suspect or motive.

And the trial of Brandon Grimes, alleged killer of Detective Troy Lamont Chesley Sr., has been postponed.
Here's more on the story from last year.
The P and I don't often agree, but I'm also puzzled as to why the SA's office didn't pursue the big D in this case. If there's any case that would seem to "merit" it, this would be it. (Though in a way it's an argument against the DP, because it's glaring, neon proof that the application is very inconsistent.)

More on the Tuesday-night stabbing at Baltimore and Charles. The victim, Shannon Dudley, "weighs less than 100 pounds and is passionate about being a barber."

Rodericks blogs on the 10-year sentence of the drunken Mexican who killed Marine Cpl. Brian Mathews and his lady, pointing out that while the victims' families were outraged, the 10 years is the heftiest drunk-driving sentence to be handed down in recent memory.

Enjoy troubling images? "The WBAL TV 11 News I-Team obtained photos that have never been seen by the public that raise troubling questions" about the now-closed Lower Shore Drill Academy in Wicomico County.

*I'm reprinting to put the links in "TinyUrl" so they won't be lost.

Talk amongst yourselves

I've got no time to post today, but there's lots of stuff on our favorite news sites. If you can find something interesting, share it with the BC gang down in the comments section. Snark and outrage are welcome and encouraged. Empathy doesn't hurt either.

The Baltimore FBI has a new division chief, Amy Jo Lyons. She's the third person to hold the job in three years.

Octogenarian absconder Willie Parker returned to Baltimore last week, three months after his arrest in NC.

The city wants to ban the sale of single cigars. But just the cheap ones, because rich people don't get cancer.

Sometimes, I enjoy posting links to inappropriate YouTube videos, just because I can.

Afternoon Update: Two Guilty Pleas

Ew. Timothy D. Price III, the 31-year-old former music director of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, pleaded guilty today to second-degree rape for having sex with a 12-year-old parishioner (the same age as his own kid, double yuk!). The Sun has an interview in which Price discusses healing through music.

At a hearing today, Darius Bacote, 17, of the 500 block of Orchard Street, pleaded guilty to Attempted Second-Degree Murder, Handgun Use in commission of a Crime of Violence and Wear Carry Transport. Judge Gale E. Rasin sentenced Bacote to 30 years, suspend all but 12 years, the first five without parole and five years of supervised probation upon his release. In February 2008 a motion to transfer the case to Juvenile Court was denied by Judge Rasin. Details:

Bacote [pled] to the following statement of facts. On November 9, 2007 in the 1300 block of West North Avenue at 9:24 p.m., Darius Bacote was observed firing a handgun by Officer Gregory Fisher who was operating an unmarked vehicle. The officer observed five muzzle flashes. The officer gave chase to Bacote and ordered him to the ground. Recovered from Bacote’s pocket was a .38 special handgun. Later that night Bacote provided a taped confession to Baltimore City detectives and confessed to shooting at Kevin Morgan because of an ongoing dispute. Initially officers were not certain if a victim or anyone had been struck but a hospital canvas revealed that a walk-in shooting victim shot in the 1300 block of West North Avenue location was admitted. Kevin Morgan was located at Shock Trauma suffering from a gunshot wound to his back. He was later released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery. Darius Bacote was 16-years old at the time of the shooting. Assistant State’s Attorney Andrew Kowalczyk prosecuted this case.

May 28

A man got stabbed last night at Charles St. and Baltimore St., and another man was shot in the back yesterday about "50 paces" from where Ronald Crowell was killed over the weekend. Good to see the Sun is using ancient Roman units of measure.

Meanwhile, the 16-year-old girl and the 19-year-old man who were shot in South Baltimore and Remington, respectively, are both still in the hospital. No word yet on whether the fine doctors at Shock Trauma and Hopkins are being credited with the city's continually dropping murder rate.

Speaking of the dropping murder rate, Anna D. reports only one murder this week, the death of Carlos Cervantes on S. Broadway near E. Pratt St. Anna's poetic closing sentence says it all: "He was dead." There've been 77 murders so far this year, compared to six for the same week last year and 116 total at this time in 2007.

Whoever writes the Examiner's Blotter isn't quite clear on the difference between a theft and a robbery.

The drug biz ain't the only business that's being hit by a 'no parking' zone on Pennsylvania Ave. Of course, something tells me the dealers will bounce back easier than the legit small business owners.

I think I remember Pembleton telling Bayliss that the only people who sleep in the interrogation room are the guilty ones. Looks like Vaughn Garris is guilty, then. (His confession certainly makes it look that way, too.)

Here's a closer look at the impounded video poker games in Baltimore County.

No Clarking Zone

The City's lawyer has filed a motion to block the reinstatement of Kevin Clark to the police commissioner's job. The C of A had deemed his firing illegal in March. O'Malley had claimed that Clark was fired because his wife threw a phone at him a decade ago; rumors had it that Clark was canned after he refused to go along with various shady goings-on in the mayor's administration.
... or maybe it was Clark who was sketchy, all along.

Not Baltimore, but I know some of you have been following the case in PGC of Keith Washington, convicted of shooting two Marlo Furniture deliverymen, Brandon Clark and Robert White. Washington was sentenced today to 45 years.

Funniest. Typo. Ever. (Here's the closeup)

Indictment in Murder of Sean Michael Henderson

Today the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Dominic Brown, 27, of the 1300 block of Vida Drive for first-degree murder and attempted murder. Details from Jessamy's office:

Court documents allege that on May 4, 2008, Brown was responsible for shooting two victims in the 3200 block of Belair Road. The first victim, Sean Michael Henderson, 36, was escorting two females to their vehicles from an establishment in the unit block when Brown approached the trio and engaged in a brief conversation. Shortly afterward, Brown produced a handgun and began firing at the victim striking him several times. Henderson died from his injuries at Johns Hopkins Hospital. A second victim was shot in the leg and survived his injuries. An arraignment is scheduled for June 28, 2008 before Judge Sylvester Cox, Room 203 Mitchell Courthouse.

May 27

Ronald Crowell's (or Cromwell's, depending which Sun article you believe) death on Normal Ave. leaves only six men alive from five generations of their family. (The article features a good photo of his family creating a makeshift memorial.)

A 16-year-old girl was shot in the face in South Baltimore.

A 19-year-old man was shot in the head in Remington early this morning.

A tall, bald, well-dressed black man robbed a 1st Mariner Bank on N. Charles St. on Sunday morning.

Somehow, it's fitting that a Waffle House would appear in a story about a family that's this screwed up.

The Balto County PD has posted some crime prevention tips on their web site. I'd make fun of how obvious some of the tips are, but every Blotter makes it clear how many people haven't learned to take their GPS and their iPod (and Viagra) with them when they park.

May 25

WBAL reports murder #77 is a 19-year-old man shot to death in the 1100 block of E. North Avenue.

Murder #76 is an unidentified man shot in the 1600 block of Normal Avenue.
(Thanks non)

Annals of Juvenile Justice: Gay St. facility a "poorly configured monstrosity," "a failure," "a powder keg," "out of control," and "a bleak place that breeds hopelessness" that's "worsening." And the architecture sucks, too.

Selling bacon? The police are conducting customer satisfaction surveys.

Say what now? In Parkville, "Man Shot Just Before Car Crash Dies."

WBAL has a pic of Federal Hill beatdown suspect Ashley Zion, left.

And police have arrested a suspect in the light rail stabbing, one 17-year-old Chiffone Frazier, who was ID'd as the assailant who held the victim's hair (then, apparently, she glued the tufts onto her own head).

A judge has nullified a $1.5 million judgment awarded to a woman in a defamation suit against D! M! X! The woman was sperminated by the "star" in a local hotel room.

Guilty Verdict in Philip Airey Murder

Michael Martin, 28, of the 200 block of Allwood Road was found guilty late Friday afternoon May 23 of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and assault and deadly weapon charges before the Honorable John Addison Howard. The maximum sentence for first-degree murder is life in prison. Sentencing is scheduled August 14, 2008. Details from the SA's office:

On June 20, 2007 Anne Arundel County Fire Department responded to the scene of a car fire in the field off a ramp leading to West Nursery Road off of I-295. The firefighters noticed the 1993 Chevrolet Prism gas cap was missing, license plates were missing and the area around the car was also burned. When fire officials popped the trunk they found decomposed remains of a body later identified as Philip Calvin Airey Jr., 36.

Statement of facts. Philip Airey had been reported missing by his mother on June 19, 2007. She last saw her son on June 18 just before he left to meet Tracy Asbury at a local bar. According to witness statements, Airey arrived alone, ordered two drinks before Asbury showed up at the bar. The two were observed by witnesses having drinks and playing pool together for several hours before Asbury left the bar alone at midnight. Asbury was observed on her cell phone as she left the bar. Cell phone records revealed that Asbury was calling Michael Martin and Robert Speake. Airey ordered his last drink after Asbury left at 12:07 a.m. Cell phone records indicate Asbury made several cell phone calls to Airey between 12:40 and 12:42 a.m. Shortly after that time Airey arrived at the house on Pennington Avenue. According to witnesses, upon his entrance to the house he was met with fists, kicks and punches in the living room. The fight moved down into the basement where he was further assaulted and ultimately stabbed to death. Witnesses at the house at the time of the assault gave statements that they saw Michael Martin, Tracy Asbury and Robert Speake assault Airey and later saw a body wrapped in a blanket and a sleeping bag in the basement of the house. Another witness gave a statement that the next day, in the early morning, he saw Philip Airey’s prism in the alley and that Tracy Asbury was standing next to the vehicle and the trunk of the car was open. Witnesses gave statements that Asbury had spoken openly about an elaborate plan to assault Airey over the course of several weeks.

Speake, 19, [pleaded] guilty April 7, 2008 to second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and use of a deadly weapon (knife) with intent to injure. Under terms of the plea agreement Speake was to testify truthfully in the Asbury trial. and will receive a prison term of 58-years suspend all but 43-years at a later date.

Tracy Asbury plead[ed] guilty May 14 to second-degree murder and conspiracy to assault before the Honorable John Addison Howard. As part of her plea agreement with the state, Asbury will receive a sentence of 55-years suspend all but 33-years and a 5-year probation term. Sentencing has been held sub-curia until the Martin case concluded.

Michael Martin is the last co-defendant to be convicted.

Assistant State’s Attorney Theresa Shaffer of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

May 23

The Blotter reports four shootings this week on or near Monument St. in East Baltimore.

What happened to the good ol' days, when armed teenagers on PCP would steal muscle cars instead of mini vans? (One of the alleged thieves' middle name is Delorean. Somebody's parents musta had a thing for Michael J. Fox.)

Fake water inspectors may be trying to steal your shit.

Maybe by the time Victor William Kunst Jr. gets out of kiddie porn jail, he'll be too old to get it up.

Someone snitched on cameraman extraordinaire Akiba Matthews, who was found guilty and now faces 30 years on federal drug and gun charges.

Prosecutors are fighting gangs with the theatre arts.

12 Years for 6 Corpses

The good news: in this week's edition of "Murders Revisited," three out of six adults charged with murder faced some sort of consequence. The bad news: none of the sentences for the three men charged exceeded five years.

There was an armed robbery on campus at UMBC.
(thanks Jeff!)

May 21

Six more murders this week, compared to five in last year's (5/23/07) issue of Murder Ink.

Why is this buried in the Blotter? "A woman, 23, told police she was standing on South Broadway about 2 a.m. Friday and waiting for a ride when a man forced her into a nearby alley and raped her. The woman reported the incident Sunday and was taken to a hospital."

Sunday's bloody melee (I love that word, melee!) in Federal Hill is all over the print news, but TV doesn't seem so interested: The Sun, The Examiner, The Examiner blog (Now With Comments!), and b (along with the question "Would we care if it happened in a different ZIP code?" Looking at the number of fights in the Blotter, I think the answer is a resounding "no").

No bail for Queen Antoinette or her 20-year-old daughter, Trevia Williams. Hmmmm... would that mean Williams is Princess Trevia?

'Rock' was arrested for the weekend murder in Columbia. The victim was a known member of the Long Reach Crew, a Columbia gang known for drugs, assaults, and all the other fun things for which stupid suburban HoCo kids celebrate gang culture.

Joshua Rice got 30 years for strangling west-side hooker Jennifer Fishbach with a coat hanger in 2004.

If three kids and grandma were running amok and kicking the principal on a show on the Disney Channel, we'd all think it was cute.

Looks like we're finally snitching again.

Police stopped a van that was carrying more than 500 pair of fake Nikes.

The dude who threatened to "choke the life out of O'Malley" is off of house detention. So here's a question: If the government arrested everyone who had a similar thought about either O'Malley or Dixon, how much of our population would be in jail?

May 20

A man got killed at S. Broadway and Gough in Fells Point last night at about 9:00.

GBHS sophomore Christian J. Schellenschlager Jr. was arrested for killing a 49-year-old man with a bat. Schellenschlager was arrested after his mom ratted him out. So what do you think? Did his mom do the right thing? Could you rat out your kid, knowing it might mean many years in federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison?

A body that might have ties to Maryland was found in the trunk of a car in Morrisville, PA.

We can add Tony Allen to the list of dead doppelgangers in Baltimore. (The Wikipedia entry for those of you who've missed the other Tony Allen's mighty drumming skills.)

Alleged priestjacker Angelo Parker is on trial after he and his mother refused a plea deal that would have gotten him 12 years. Mama Parker says that she's leaving Angelo's fate in God's hands, which maybe isn't such a good idea for a dude who robs the clergy.

Too bad young Mr. Parker didn't go after Jeff Toohey, who was finally dismissed from the priesthood three years after pleading guilty to getting it on with a young man.

PDJ: Juan R. Payz Reyes likes 'em young and he like 'em crazy, but he likes 'em best when he gets off with a slap on the wrist.

In Annapolis, a man slammed a 14-year-old boy's head into the wall, then shot at him with what can only be described as rotten aim.

Damn, I didn't realize Queen Antoinette was in custody already! Police want no bail for her and two of her subjects, all of whom were nabbed in New York.

Carroll County hearts Oxycodone!

If I had a cheesy moustache like this dude, I probably would've turned to a life of crime too.

Like Frying Eggs on Teflon

It's the latest installment of "Murders Revisited," in which 3 of 4 homicides go unpunished.

CV Follies

... from JHU security (thanks CD!)

3 JUVENILE ARRESTS - Weapons Violations - 100 Blk. E. 30th St. - On May 17th at 7:50 PM, Baltimore Police and Campus Officers stopped three juveniles; 14, 15, and 17 years old. One of the juveniles attempted to dispose of two hammers prior to being stopped. Another juvenile had a steak knife and screwdriver in his possession. All were arrested by Baltimore Police and charged with possession of deadly weapons.

3 JUVENILE ARRESTS - Armed Robbery - 2900 Blk. Hargrove St. - On May 17th at 11:00 PM, a non-affiliate was approached by four juveniles, one of whom displayed a handgun, demanded and took money. Three of the four juveniles, 15 and 16 years old, were stopped in the 3000 Blk. N. Charles Street by Campus Officers and an off-duty Baltimore Police officer working for JHU. Baltimore Police responded and arrested the three juveniles based on a positive identification by the victim. A warrant will be obtained for a fourth juvenile involved. No injuries.

Attempt Armed Robbery - E. 26th & N. Charles Sts. - On May 15th at 7:20 PM, a senior undergraduate was approached by two unknown males in their late teens or early 20's as he walked by them at the intersection. One of the males displayed a knife and demanded the victim's property. The victim walked away from the suspects who did not follow him but were last seen walking east on E. 26th Street. No injuries. Nothing taken. The incident was reported to Campus Safety and Security on May 16th. Investigation continuing.

Auto Theft - Unit Blk. E. 30th St. - On May 16th between 12:30 AM and 6:30 PM, a JHMI employee's parked vehicle was taken. Baltimore Police responded. Investigation continuing.

Student Arrested on Alcohol Violation -- 3200 Blk. N. Calvert St. - On May 18th at 2:48 AM, as a Baltimore Police officer approached a sophomore undergraduate carrying an open container of alcohol, the student threw the container to the ground and ran into a nearby residence where he was located and arrested by Baltimore Police.

May 19

There were two murders (reported so far) over the weekend in the city: 18-year-old Valerie Barnes was shot repeatedly in a Brooklyn house on Saturday evening, and 42-year-old Jeffrey Gause was shot in his car on Sunday morning.

There were two shootings in HoCo over the weekend, and one of them was fatal.

In the Blotter, the ethics of Baltimore shine as old men are robbed and Goodwill stores are burglarized.

A catfight in Edgewood left one woman in the hospital and one in the slammer.

Cops are getting new training.

(Alleged) kid-killer Mark Castillo is scheduled for arraignment today.
UPDATE: At his arraignment today, Mark Castillo entered a not guilty plea. A NCR motion (Not Criminally Responsible) was filed with the court. Judge Timothy J. Doory continued the case to August 22, 2008 at 9:30 AM, Part 46, for trial. He remains held without bail.

(Alleged) dad-killer Danny Thompson Jr. won't get out on bail either.

RIP Blue Light Cameras!

Fritze reports it's good riddance to O'Malley's election-season folly, blue-light cameras! (Estory)

When I was at a CJCC meeting while the lights were being installed during the election season, the estimates I heard to get the first generation of cameras up and going was $800,000 - $1.3 million each.
$30k is a bit of a diff!

Sentences for Assault, 1st-Degree Murder of Cecil Saunders, 28

Edited, from the SA's Office:

Judge Robert Kershaw sentenced Leneal Montay Collins, 30, of the unit block of South Wickham Road and Demetrius Williams, 19, of the 5900 block of Deywalt Avenue of first-degree assault and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault for their participation in the brutal attack assault on Cecil Saunders today. Judge Kershaw sentenced Demetrius Williams to 25 years in prison for assault and 20 years for conspiracy to assault to run consecutively and Collins to 25 years for the conspiracy to commit assault in the first degree and ten years for the assault in the second degree. Assistant State’s Attorney Diana Smith of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

On March 14, 2008 a city jury convicted Ernest Knox, aka Donnell Williams, 25, of the 900 block of Woodington Road of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault. Judge Kershaw sentenced Knox to life suspend all but 100 years for the first degree murder of Cecil Saunders and 20 years for the conspiracy to first degree assault to run consecutively. On August 9, 2006 police identified Knox on a private, security camera beating and kicking Cecil Saunders, 28, 35 times in the head and chest inside a stairwell at the Executive Inn in the 3600 block of Pulaski Highway.

Microeconomics Dept.

Van Smith has another CP web exclusive on the travels of one indicted drug dealer's money.

May 16

Damn, last night was a bloody night. First, a guy got shot somewhere on E. North Ave. and is in critical condition, then four guys got shot somewhere else on E. North Ave. and one of them died, then two guys got shot in the legs in Park Heights, then one guy got shot in West Baltimore and died.

The cops tried to serve a warrant to a Lansdowne man, but ended up serving him a belly full of death.

Lewin Powell apparently didn't try to hide the fact that he killed his mother.

Perv du jour Richard David Morris is looking at a few decades of being the prey instead of the predator.

Lots of stolen clothing in the Blotter, including one guy who gave up his scarf at gunpoint.

They're taking down the blue light cameras.

Another story on the asshole dealers who are stashing drugs at St. Frances Academy. One student said, "This is our neighborhood, and we don’t want drugs in it."

Teenage Boys go Insane!

Daniel Eugene Thompson, Jr., 17, was arrested for stabbing new dad Carlos Santay-Carrillo.

Lewin Carlton Powell III reportedly killed his mom in a fight over grades.

It's a CP Web Exclusive!

Speaking of well-educated sons, the CP's Jeffrey Anderson and Van Smith write about Phillip Winkfield, the son of a federal judge who may soon be facing his own federal charges.

Kisses and Echoes

From the blogosphere: A budding Republican named Kevin posts an editorial on Baltimore's crime problem.
Don't forget to install a stat counter, kid!

And some real family values in CA! The California Supreme Court just ok'd gay marriage! A historic day!

May 15

Another Balto County teen went apeshit. This time, it's a 16-year-old McDonough scholarship student who beat his mother to death with a bat and tried to do the same to his father.

There was a triple shooting with one fatality in the Perkins Homes on Dallas Ct., just a block away from where Frederick Douglass invested some of his money in building homes for poor people.

Things got a little stabby this morning at the Bolton House in Mt. Royal.

A merchant turned over security camera footage that shows a possible suspect in Carlos Santay-Carrillo's murder.

Police have released a sketch of a man who might know something about the murder of Nancy Schmidt in Remington.

Kerri King pleaded not guilty. I wonder what her story is? Maybe she loaned the car to one of her drunk stripper friends, or maybe it's just that The Man is keeping her down.

The new dealers in East Baltimore have no respect for the old dealers' tradition of respecting the sacred space at St. Frances Academy.

There was a bank robbery in Federal Hill on Monday.

The family of Norman Stamp is filing a wrongful death lawsuit.

A murder in Towson!

Split-level in Riderwood? Victim named Donna Rosemarie Campbell-Powell, aged 39? sounds like another domestic...

Guilty Plea for Philip Airey's Murder

Tracy Asbury pleaded guilty today to second-degree murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree assault before the Honorable John Addison Howard. Police believe Airey was killed during a fight with the suspects in Curtis Bay (South Baltimore).
The maximum sentence for second degree murder is 30 years and 25 years for conspiracy to assault. Sentencing will be held sub curia with a date to be set. The story from the SA's office:

"On June 20, 2007 Anne Arundel County Fire Department responded to the scene of a car fire in the field off a ramp leading to West Nursery Road off of I-295. The firefighters noticed the 1993 Chevrolet Prism gas cap was missing, license plates were missing and the area around the car was also burned. When fire officials popped the trunk they found decomposed remains of a body later identified as Philip Calvin Airey Jr., 36.

Statement of facts. Philip Airey had been reported missing by his mother on June 19, 2007. She last saw her son on June 18 just before he left to meet Tracy Asbury at a local bar. According to witness statements, Airey arrived alone, ordered two drinks before Asbury showed up at the bar. The two were observed by witnesses having drinks and playing pool together for several hours before Asbury left the bar alone at midnight. Asbury was observed on her cell phone as she left the bar. Cell phone records revealed that Asbury was calling Michael Martin and Robert Speake. Airey ordered his last drink after Asbury left at 12:07 a.m. Cell phone records indicate Asbury made several cell phone calls to Airey between 12:40 and 12:42 a.m. Shortly after that time Airey arrived at the house on Pennington Avenue. According to witnesses, upon his entrance to the house he was met with fists, kicks and punches in the living room. The fight moved down into the basement where he was further assaulted and ultimately stabbed to death. Witnesses at the house at the time of the assault gave statements that they saw Michael Martin, Tracy Asbury and Robert Speake assault Airey and later saw a body wrapped in a blanket and a sleeping bag in the basement of the house. Another witness gave a statement that the next day, in the early morning, he saw Philip Airey’s prism in the alley and that Tracy Asbury was standing next to the vehicle and the trunk of the car was open. Witnesses gave statements that Asbury had spoken openly about an elaborate plan to assault Airey over the course of several weeks.

Speake, 19, [pleaded] guilty April 7, 2008 to second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree assault and use of a deadly weapon (knife) with intent to injure. Under terms of the plea agreement Speake was to testify truthfully in the Asbury trial. and will receive a prison term of 58-years suspend all but 43-years at a later date."

Michael Martin’s murder trial is pending.
Assistant State’s Attorney Theresa Shaffer of the Homicide Division prosecuted this case.

May 14

Anna D. points out that despite our recent influx in murders, we're still killing each other much less frequently than we were last year at this time. She also provided ID's for four of the recent murder victims.

A rare misstep from Linskey: Quite a different story has emerged re. the gun battle May 7 on Ellwood Ave!
Turns out the 18-year-old who reportedly shot his mother actually shot his mother's friend. Alleged rotten teen Montreal Proctor, 18, is now in the city jail being charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder.

A look back at some of our city's most famous "criminals," who were motivated by something far greater than drugs, money, and street cred.

Greg Kane focuses on a group of students who are kicking ass in all the right ways.

Grad Student Robbed of Soda

JHU Homewood Campus
ARMED ROBBERY
Unit Block East 29th Street
MAY 13, 2008 - 1:05 AM

A graduate student had parked his vehicle and was walking east in the unit block of E. 29th Street when a black SUV drove slowly by him and stopped. Two unknown males wearing black bandanas over their faces got out of the SUV. One suspect pointed, what appeared to be, a long-barreled gun at the student while the other suspect went through his pockets. A wallet and a 12-pack of soda were taken from the victim who was not injured. The two suspects ran back to the SUV which then drove west on W. 29th Street. Baltimore Police and Campus Officers responded. Investigation continuing.

Thanks Colin!
Loving the new level of detail at CrimeBaltimore.com!

UPDATE: shot baby wasn't shot after all, but had his head scraped as grandma dove for cover.

Fresh from the Gov's Desk

Brand-new laws "expanding the state's collection of DNA samples from criminal suspects, establishing a commission to study the death penalty and delaying a ban on phosphorous in dish detergents."

May 13

There's a follow-up story on the completely chickenshit murder of father-to-be Carlos Santay-Carrillo. For all you cynics out there who are waiting to hear about the victim's rap sheet, it's looking like he was a pretty decent guy who was a victim of a random attack.

If a stray bullet penetrated the outside wall of your O'Donnell Heights rowhouse and suddenly you noticed your baby's head was bleeding, would you run outside to be safe? I mean, the bullets came from the outside, right? MJB, maybe you should address the proper course of action in your next book.

Two men were shot last night, one in Allendale (in the Southwestern) and the other on N. Collington in Middle East. (Or is that the Middle East? It sounds kinda weird saying "A man was shot in Middle East." Of course, it doesn't sound as weird as saying "I saw a bunch of happy children singing songs and playing with puppies and smelling flowers in Middle East.")

Irwin's trying out a new dialect: "A deliveryman for Papa John's was returning to the store about 5 p.m. Saturday when he at a stop sign in the 1300 block of Filbert St." (Also in the Blotter: a couple of shootings and a stabbing.)

Could someone please ask the dipshit editor at the Examiner why he/she thought it was a good idea to put the story about customers who aggressively threw coins at a McDonald's employee above the story about police searching for one of the Edgewood kidnappers?

Three men were arrested, and they're suspected in a slew of city robberies (including the one against a grocery-bearing woman on Schenley Rd. a few weeks ago).

Aaron McCown, the respected Old Town youth football coach who got busted for threatening a ref with a loaded gun at one of his Pop Warner team's games, got 6 1/2 years.

The witness intimidation trial for Yusef Winston-Bey and Victor Shuron has been postponed again. Of course, the trial is a moot point because Margaret Mead says Winston-Bey is "absolutely innocent."

Freddie "flash and boom" Mackler is out on bail and chilling at his brother's house in Owings Mills.

May 12

Okay, this is the saddest and most infuriating story I've heard about Baltimore in... uh... well, I was going to write "in a long time," but unfortunately the proper statement is more like "in about three days." Anyway, Carlos Santay, 19, was fatally stabbed at a Catonsville gas station was putting gas in the family car so he could drive his pregnant wife to the hospital. She gave birth to their first child a few hours after her husband died.

Mothers of murder victims speak out.

A woman drove Timothy Swann Jr. to Shock Trauma, stuck him in a wheelchair, and drove off before he could die. (Sun story)

The man who was killed by a gun-toting bicyclist on Friday night was ID'd as 18-year-old David Henderson. Onlookers at the scene claim they were roughed up by police.

Violence, violence, and more violence in the Blotter. (We even had some flare gun violence.)

Hit-and-run victim Michael Thompson is still in Shock Trauma, and the U-Haul driver has been ruled out as a suspect. Surely, one of you fine readers was shooting some sweet YouTube footage at the McDonald's on Perring Parkway on April Fools Day and accidentally videotaped the crime, right?

There's a new sheriff in town. Actually, it's a new police chief, the town is Annapolis, and they're on track to more than double last year's homicide stats.

"We believe this is just a personal issue he has with uniforms."

May 11

Baltimore City police say two Baltimore City teens were abducted from a bus stop, tortured and possibly sexually assaulted. A suspect, 21 year old Christopher Johnson, has been arrested.

Alleged scorned-lesbian murderer captured by her victim's son in Joppatowne, HarfCo

In the county, a male victim was stabbed to death yesterday at the Carroll Fuel gas station in the 5200 block of Baltimore National Pike.

Blood Convicted of Shooting Crip Ex-GF

Friday, a Baltimore City jury convicted Randy Golden, 19, of the 3600 block of St. Victor Street today of first-degree murder, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, wear/carry/transport a handgun. The jury deliberated approximately two hours before reaching its verdict.

Judge Timothy J. Doory scheduled sentencing for June 24, 2008 at which time he faces a maximum possible prison term of life plus 23 years.

On January 9, 2007 at 12:00PM in the 600 block of Washburn Avenue Golden shot his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Stefanski, once in the back of the head. The shooting took place in broad daylight in the middle of the street. Witnesses testified that two days before the shooting, Golden warned three different people, including the victim’s sisters, that he intended to kill Stefanski. The State asserted that the motive for the shooting was that Stefanski began selling drugs for the Crips, a rival gang of the Bloods, of which Golden is a member. Stefanski’s new boyfriend was also a Crip.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Lisa Phelps of the Homicide Division and Brandis Marsh of the Narcotics Division prosecuted this case.

Humbert Arrested in CV Rapes!

The state has in custody one Marlow Humbert, 44.
Humbert?!

Teenager murdered in the Northeastern

WJZ reports that a teenager was shot and killed Friday night at about 9:30 at the corner of Hillen Rd. and Harford Rd. in Northeast Baltimore. Police are looking for a kid on a bike.

Police are also looking for a man by the name of Reds. He's a red-headed white dude who hangs in Highlandtown and runs down motorcyclists in Dundalk when he's not busy selling CDs.

So, if you see a kid on a bike and a red-headed white dude, jump out of your car and tell the redhead to get behind the wheel. Then run over to the kid on the bike and make sure he's still got his gun. Once you're done with that, you should be able to time it so the kid on the bike shoots the white dude just before the car runs into the bike. Kid on bike: 0; Reds: 0; City of Baltimore: 2.

New City Paper feature

Anna Ditkoff has started a new weekly feature on the City Paper web site where she follows up on closed homicide cases to see whether or not the person who was arrested was actually convicted of the crime. The first installment looks at murder cases from early 2006.

May 9

Holy crap. A 19-year-old college student almost got abducted from in front of her Bay Ridge house on Wednesday. Best of all, one of the wannabe kidnappers walked up to her as she was talking to the police.

The sons are shooting the mothers, and the mothers are shaking the sons. "The mother of Damaud Martin -- a 4-year-old boy who doctors say was severely shaken and is in a coma-like state -- was arrested on child abuse and other charges yesterday, Baltimore police reported."

There's some mother/son drug action in the Blotter, as well as a bunch of people who should really consider spending some time at the gun range if they're going to make careers as murderers. (One of the failed homicides happened a couple of blocks down from Jimmy's Chinese Carryout, where Paris Richardson got killed a few days ago.)

WJZ has video of the two women who got stabbed near the light rail on Wednesday.

Police are running DNA tests on the toddler's body that was found in a suitcase in Philly.

A couple of HoCo dopes got busted after they tried to rob a cop.

AsKishor Kc was beaten into a coma as he delivered pizzas in Edgewood in February. He's on the slow road to recovery, and attempts are being made to raise money for his wife and two young daughters. Kc was/is the sole provider for his family.

I can already see the geniuses at some non-profit putting together the billboards: "STAY IN SCHOOL, DON'T GET SHOT." "MATH, NOT METH." "THE ONLY BULLETS GOING INTO THESE KIDS ARE BULLETS OF KNOWLEDGE." (Examiner article)

Some dude in Texas says the teens who beat Sarah Kreager just might be a sign of the apocalypse.

Mother's Day is May 11

An 18-year-old allegedly shot his mother last night in the head in east Baltimore. Linskey reports that at least one officer returned fire, and, amazingly, mom is alive.
There were also two other non-fatal shootings last night.

FLIP Letter Sends Man to Can for Gun

Says the SA's office:

At a hearing today Yimoe Siddha, 41, of the 500 block of East Madison Street, pled guilty to possession of a handgun after being convicted of a disqualifying crime and wear/carry/transport a handgun. Judge Gale E. Rasin sentenced him to five-years in prison without the possibility of parole. A Federal Letter of Intent to Prosecute or “FLIP letter” was utilized by the State today. FLIP letters are written by federal prosecutors to notify defendants with pending State charges that the evidence in their case has been reviewed by the United States Attorneys Office and that federal charges will be filed if their cases are not resolved in State court.

On December 26, 2007 at 11:05AM in the 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue, officers approached a group of individuals who began to disperse upon observing their presence. Officers observed Siddha holding his side, acting in a manner consistent with that of an armed person. Officers patted him down and recovered from his dip area a P90 Ruger .45 handgun loaded with live rounds and ready to fire.
Siddha’s record included a 1993 conviction for robbery deadly weapon (handgun) and a 1988 conviction for robbery.

Yimoe?

Bus violence is to December as school violence is to May!
There's a hearing scheduled today regarding assault charges against Sherry Shields, who assaulted her daughter's biology teacher in front of students.
Wonder if Jenna Bush will get a job teaching in the city?
That would be awesome!

May 8

Back in the day, it was pigs who got slaughtered in Pigtown. Murder #67 is a guy who lost a fight in the 1200 block of James Street near Ostend.

Some douchebag shot a woman in the head just east of Patterson Park. A cop saw the whole thing and shot at the douchebag, but missed. The woman is expected to be fine, and the douchebag was arrested.

Yesterday was a bad day for the ladies: a 16-year-old and a 21-year-old were stabbed during a fight downtown near the light rail.

And the woman hating continues, with a couple more cuttings in Govans and a washer/dryer theft on N. Collington. Oh, and an aspiring mathematician in Cherry Hill got beaten and robbed of his scientific calculator.

Someone threw an exploding bottle into a classroom at West Baltimore Middle School. The sad thing is, this kind of shit happens way more often than you think it does.

Hey! Luke did a follow-up story on Herve Massaba, the college student from Cameroon who was shot and paralyzed during a robbery last year. Unlike many people in this city, Massaba has a helluva positive attitude and isn't sitting around bitching about being a victim.

Yeah. This article is just going to piss you off, so I might as well close today's post here. Go read it.

May 7

(MJB beat me to a few of these links, including today's Murder Ink, but I've already written this post so redundancy be damned.)

If it took six or seven thugs to beat and kill a 73-year-old man, then how many of our city's toughest gangbangers would it take to drown a kitten or steal candy from a baby?

Hmmm... maybe the cops should sic this guy on the douchebags who like killing senior citizens.

A 17-year-old was chased down an alley off of Presbury St. and shot repeatedly.
UPDATE: The boy died at about 2:15 this morning.

Two 13-year-old students broke into West Baltimore's Calverton Elementary/Middle School on Sunday afternoon and tried to rape a teacher who was putting in some overtime. She fought back and they ran away like the little cowards they are. Both boys got arrested when they showed up for class on Monday.

It's not just city schools that are being disrupted by violent asshats.

Perv du jour: Child rapist Carlos Cortez got 100 years, and alleged grandma rapist Roger Ervin was indicted and faces life.

Kevin G. Johns got caned, albeit not in the traditional way.

Greg Kane is going to be getting mad praise in the comments section now.

They're building new single-family houses in Oliver.

Another Harsonist got caught!

Confidential to Frank Conaway: If you'd done your job in the first place, this wouldn't be an issue, so shut the fuck up and get to work.

Another school attack?! This time 13-year-olds (yes, you read that correctly, 13-year-olds) tried to rape a teacher! What the effing ef?

And 73-year-old Ellsworth Monroe* was reportedly beaten to death by a group of 6 or 7 people. Then robbed. Superduper. I'm going back to bed now!
* Anna says he is identified in police reports as both Ellsworth Monroe-Bey and Monroe Ellsworth.

Arrests in Recent Robberies

From the Rp listerv:

Concerning the recent armed robberies, one on Schenley Road, there is good news. The Police report:

"the ND/DDU conducted follow-up investigation relative to several robberies which have occurred in the ND. …. we have been working a joint investigation with Baltimore County, Western District DDU and CD DDU; as a result three people have been arrested and are currently detained in Baltimore County Investigation has revealed that these individuals were operating a 2006 Buick Lacrosse (silver in color) MD tag LLL-924. This vehicle has since been recovered. The vehicle was taken by the suspects in a carjacking in Baltimore County. Reports thus far have indicated that the suspects were engaging victims in groups of two or as an individual, we have reports of them wearing a white bandanna and a blue bandanna over their faces, brandishing a silver handgun.

"So far, the investigation has linked the suspects to the ND, CD, WD and Baltimore County. As you can see the suspects have been mobile. This investigation is continuing, if anyone should have a question or think they may have similarities please contact the BC police. So far Baltimore County has conducted one search and seizure warrant in the County and we have conducted two in the city."

Regarding the burglaries, the Criminal Justice Office (wonder what that is)-- Ed.) provides the following information:

"As for the burglaries I speak to all of them but I know the commercial on Cold Spring we thought we had some leads but not so sure now. There has been an increase in burglaries along the top end of the district. I would say this to the community is we are looking for two cars: A newer red mini van with 3 …males in it (they are breaking into homes after the stake them out, they even knock on the doors and the driver had a coat and tie on) and a gray Ford F-150 extended cab with a black bed liner and 2 …males (they are hitting garages taking bikes) most all of this is daytime stuff for the burglaries."

Finally, the Northern District suggests the following:

• Keep your garages and sheds locked.
• Mark your lawn equipment i.e.: mowers, weed eaters, leaf blowers etc. with your drivers license, state identification number or home address.
• Do not leave your equipment unattended.
• Thieves can quickly enter your home through open windows and doors while you are gardening in your yard.
• Record the brand, model and serial number of all of your lawn equipment and bicycles.
• Keep your shrubbery trimmed away from windows and doors to maintain clear visibility.
• Ensure that your outdoor lighting is adequate and in good working order.
• When you leave your home, ensure that your doors and windows are locked. As well, close your garage doors.
• Have adequate window covering so you don't advertise your valuables to individuals passing by.
• If you see anything suspicious, do not hesitate to call the police - 911.

The Northern District Community Relations Office can provide a home security survey. This survey will provide you with some tips to better secure your home, garage and shed. To schedule a survey, call Officer Jon Walter or Officer Doug Gibson at 410-367-8491.
Email: Jonathan.Walter@baltimorepolice.org
Douglas.Gibson@baltimorepolice.org

ps., the County Police recommend hidden shackle locks.

May 6

Based on today's news reports, it's still looking like Dawn Shipley got murdered over some smokes.

WJZ gives us this on the Shipley murder: "The person that done this to my niece, if he's any kind of a human being, he would turn hisself in."

Perv du jour: Perhaps the next voice that Jasen Weigman hears in his head will be telling him to "bend over and take it like a 7-year-old, bitch."

They caught some of the Harsonists.

Bealefeld talked to WMAR.

The homicide commander, Major Frederick Herman Taber Jr., is retiring.

Last Weekend in Charles Village...

JHU security bulletins from our friend at Spotcrime.com:

ARMED ROBBERY
W. 29th & N. Howard Sts.
MAY 3, 2008 - 12:00 AM Midnight

A senior undergraduate walking alone was approached by five males, 18-21 years old. One of the males struck the victim from behind with a hard object, knocking him to the ground and took his wallet from his pocket. After removing money from the wallet and dropping it on the ground, the
suspects fled in an unknown direction. Baltimore Police responded. The victim refused medical treatment. Investigation continuing. The incident was reported May 3rd at 12:24 AM.
Description of Suspects:
Three black males, 18-21 years old, wearing black shirts and dark colored
jeans. No further description.

UNARMED ROBBERY
3100 Blk. Guilford Avenue(3 blocks southeast of campus)
MAY 5, 2008 - 12:10 AM

A non-affiliated male walking alone was approached from the rear by two unknown males who pushed him to the ground and took his wallet from his pocket. The suspects were last seen running north on Guilford Ave. Baltimore Police and campus officers searched the area with negative results.
Description of Suspects:
Two black males wearing dark clothing and hoodies. No further description.

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY
3000 Block Guilford Avenue
(3 blocks southeast of campus)
MAY 2, 2008 - 9:45 PM

A graduate student walking alone was approached by a group of seven to ten juveniles, 8-11 years old. One of the juveniles held his hand in his pocket as if armed and demanded money. The student began speaking French and pretended that she did not understand their demands. The juveniles subsequently walked away from the victim and continued northbound on Guilford Ave. Nothing was taken. No injuries. No weapon displayed. Baltimore Police and campus officers searched the area to no avail. Investigation continuing.
Description of Suspects:
Seven to ten black male juveniles, 8-11 years old, wearing white shirts and
blue jeans. No further description.

ATTEMPTED THEFT
200 Blk. E. 28th St.

On May 4th at 7:20 PM, two juveniles, about 10 years old, riding a small yellow mini-bike drove by and attempted to grab the purse of a non-affiliated female. The female swung her purse and hit one of them in the head as they drove away. The juveniles were last seen riding southbound on Calvert St. Nothing was taken. No injuries. Baltimore Police responded.

ASSAULT
In front of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, 3209 N. Charles St.

On May 3rd at 2:30 AM, a graduate student walking past the fraternity house was struck in the chest with a plastic projectile which appeared to have come from a 3rd floor window of the house. A sophomore undergraduate walking near the house around the same time also reported having been struck in the upper arm by a plastic projectile. No injuries. The fraternity president and the Student & Community Liaison recovered a plastic toy gun from inside the fraternity house that fired similar type plastic projectiles and turned it over to Baltimore Police. Investigation continuing.

DISORDERLY INTOXICATION

• In Front of Bradford Apts. - On May 2nd at 8:04 PM, an underage sophomore who was shouting at people was issued a civil citation by a Baltimore Police officer. The student was taken by ambulance to Union Memorial Hospital and admitted on an emergency petition.


• E. 33rd & St Paul Sts. - On May 4th at 2:58 AM, senior undergraduate who was acting disorderly at the Mini Mart was issued a civil citation by a Baltimore Police.

ALCOHOL VIOLATION
E. 33rd & Hargrove Sts.

On May 5th at 2:20 AM, Baltimore Police issued a criminal citation to a sophomore undergraduate for carrying an open container of alcohol.

MALICIOUS DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY
E. 33rd & St. Paul Sts.

On May 3rd at 11:45 PM, after paying the fare and exiting a taxi cab, an unknown male broke the windshield of the cab with his shoulder and then fled along with an unknown female passenger, last seen in the 200 block of E. University Pkwy. Baltimore Police was {sic} notified.

Conviction for Rape and Murder of Four-Year-Old Ja’Niya Williams

Today a Baltimore jury convicted Ronald Hinton, now 16, of the 5300 block of Morello Road, Baltimore of first-degree murder and rape of 4-yr. old Ja’Niya Williams. The Honorable John Addison Howard will sentence Hinton at a later date. Closing arguments were held on Friday, May 2, 2008 and the jury deliberated fewer than three hours before returning their verdict about 11 a.m. following an 8-day trial.

The Baltimore City Grand jury indicted Hinton July 7, 2006 for first-degree murder, first-degree rape and other sex offense and child abuse counts.

Court documents allege on June 21, 2006 Hinton, who was 14 at the time, raped and severely beat a four-year-old girl at a residence in the 2900 block of Goodwood Road. Ja’Niya Williams died two days later.

Assistant State’s Attorney Temmi Rollock and Sex Offense Division Chief Jo Anne Stanton prosecuted the case.

Afternoon

Paris Richardson was killed while he was waiting for takeout in East Baltimore at about 1:00 this morning.

Farron Tates is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow. He's accused of pulling a gun on Anthony Underwood during an "altercation" on March 1 and shooting Underwood in the head and chest. Tates is 16, and he's facing first degree murder charges. Way to go, kid.

This is your last chance to post questions about Baltimore's crime economy for Anirban Basu. C'mon, where are the questions about prostitutes and drug prices and the city council and housing and all that? If you're not going to pose more questions, I don't want to read any bitching in the comments about how I didn't ask him anything good.

May 5

Three people got murdered over the weekend in the city, and one got killed in Annapolis.

• Early Saturday morning, Dawn Lynn Shipley got shot in the head because of a cigarette.
• Saturday afternoon, Michael Lee Thompson was shot behind some rowhouses on Pleasant St. in Annapolis. He'd been out of jail for a year and was apparently trying to get on a good path.
• On Sunday morning, Sean W. Henderson and a friend were shot "for no apparent reason" on Belair Rd.
• A few hours later, a man was found in the backyard of a rowhouse on Orleans St. in the Middle East neighborhood.

Luke gives us his monthly murder recap, along with the tasty fact that this was the least murderous April in Baltimore since 1977.

There was also the police-involved shooting on Lauretta Ave. on Friday night, but y'all know about that already. The shootee is in critical condition.

Shooters and cutters in the city, and familial bad behavior in the county.

One of the 911 operators who took a call about stabbing victim Nancy Schmidt last month has been suspended, but we don't have any idea why.

Robert Allen Flanagan is the kind of bank robber who inspires folk tales.

You know, it's hard out here for a pimp teacher.

Is Violence a Virus?

... and if so, how do you send it into remission?
(An NYT article about CeaseFire)

... residents of Armistead Gardens in the NE were forced to stay inside on account of a suicidal, gun-toting loony.

Weekend

Police reportedly shot a guy who fired at them, they believe he was the gunman in an earlier shooting at a gas station in the 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue. WBAL says it's popo-involved shooting #12 of '08.
(WARNING: an ad on this page starts making a racket after a few moments... turn down your volume before you click the link!)

"Roy Edward Hoover, Jr., age 38, of Baltimore, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of a minor to produce child pornography ... Hoover sexually assaulted a minor female victim, beginning when she was approximately 14 years old."
also gross: John Ewing Baugus, age 62, of Odenton.
Yuck, yuck, yuck.

White-collar crime news du semaine includes 188 months for Bmorean David McDowell Robinson's wire and mail fraud that bilked <900 investors; a $13 million fine for shady prescription drug transactions by the McKesson Corp.; money laundering with a tax-refund scam.

Barry "Mook" Henderson got 188 federal months for selling coke.

Chillagers are freaking out over the rape this week and the one on March 5 (the story also references the e-mail below, though note that the robbery was in the Evergreen section of Roland Park, not Homeland.)

Meanwhile, a break-in in the Eastern, a work-site robbery in the Northern, and three knife-wielding teenage girls in the Blotter.

A woman faces jail on animal cruelty charges for leaving her dog in a locked car. The poor fried pooch had to be put down. Don't leave dogs in cars, people!

Sad: you probably heard already, but Deborah Jeane Palfrey, former madam of HoCoPro Brandy Britton, hanged herself in Florida. Britton also killed herself in January of last year. Here's Slate's summary of what the blog-o-sphere has to say.

"Gay and lesbian activists thought they had a friend in Martin O'Malley."
Syke!

Armed Robbery in Evergreen

E-mail forwarded from the victim:

• "11:30 PM on Wednesday, April 30th about one hundred yard up from intersection of Coldspring and Schenley in front of my house 4507 Schenley Road.


• 3 African American Males, (approx 6ft; probably around 18 years old) one with white bandana around his face, pulled their car in front of mine as I was getting out with a few bags of groceries. They ran towards me yelling and demanded money. The one with the bandana around his face DIPLAYED A SMALL HANDGUN.


• I screamed and threw everything in my pockets on the ground. They demanded money (cash) and I insisted that I did not have any on my person. I told them to take my bank card and continued to make a great deal of commotion. They instead took my cell phone and ran back to the car. They said “Don’t call the police.” And jumped back in the car and headed North on Schenley.


• Police are now involved and tracking my cell phone. A neighbor got a partial description of the car and license plate. The organizer of the new neighborhood patrol happened to be driving down Schenley in his car with the roof light rack as the robbers were driving up."

May 2

An unidentified man was killed yesterday morning in Woodmere.

The story about Javon Thompson, the missing toddler whose body might have been found in Philly, grows freakier by the day. It involves an East Baltimore cult that eschews health care, follows people with names like Queen Antoinette and Princess Travia, and had a standoff with police in 2006 because they wouldn't give a member's baby back to her. Kudos to Annie and Gus for some awesome reporting! (Yesterday's article)

Police are looking for a well-spoken rapist who has attacked two women on St. Paul St. in the past two months.

BPD officer Troy Jacquan Gee Sr. is being investigated for getting his icky on with a 13-year-old female relative.

More details on the allegedly maniacal 105 pound, 62-year-old woman who was so scary that HoCo police had to shoot her. Not surprisingly, her husband's pissed.

Alleged child abuser / piece of shit John Griffin got his bail reduced to $100,000, despite the fact that Judge Martin called pictures of Griffin's dead baby "horrifying" and "upsetting to the extreme."

Soman Thamby pleaded guilty to killing his wife, Lesa Lynn Thamby, last year.

Gregory Simmons took the stand to testify against two teenage girls who stabbed and paralyzed him as he tried to protect "several of his daughters."

Don't forget to post your questions for Baltimore economist Anirban Basu, who is participating in the first ever Baltimore Crime interview.

No Time for Bad Samaritans

Two men received probation Wednesday for doing nothing to stop an unprovoked attack on septuagenarian Sun journalist Carl Schoettler. One passer-by "encouraged [one of the assailants] after the attack to comb through Schoettler’s pockets for cash." His "excuse"? He had his young son with him. Wouldn't want to set a bad example, right? Another dingus, Gregory G. Kulla, gave the attackers a ride. He got a PBJ.

Said Judge John Glynn, “If such a thing should happen in the future I hope you should remember this and behave with more nobility than you did here.”
What do you think-- was this fair, or should Glynn have handed down some actual time?

Erik Stoddard Convicted for the 3rd Time

From the SA's Office, edited

Just after 5 PM, following three hours of deliberations, a Baltimore jury convicted Erik Stoddard, 27, of the 2500 block of Moore Avenue, of involuntary manslaughter and child abuse resulting in death. Prosecutors proceeded with a third trial after submitting last year on a defense motion for a new trial following appeal questions on a voir dire question during jury selection.

The jury reached a verdict following eight days of testimony. Stoddard faces a maximum possible prison term of 40 years. The Honorable Kaye Allison will sentence Stoddard on June 16, 2008 following a pre-sentence investigation. Details:

A Baltimore City jury convicted Stoddard March 13, 2003 of second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death for the death of Calen Faith Dirubbo, 3, and Stoddard began serving a 60-year prison term. The Court of Appeals later vacated the conviction noting that a particular question during the original trial constituted inadmissible hearsay. The case was returned for a new trial.

On May 16, 2007 Stoddard was again convicted of second-degree murder and child-abuse resulting in death. However, the State submitted on a defense motion for a new trial and on July 5, 2007 a Baltimore Circuit Court judge vacated Stoddard’s second-degree murder conviction, citing a voir dire question not asked of prospective jurors before last year’s trial.

On June 15, 2002 Dirubbo was pronounced dead at her home, where she lived with her mother and Stoddard. Dirubbo died as a result of multiple beatings over a period of at least a month; the fatal blow occurred June 15, 2002 and severed her bowel. The State proved through detailed medical evidence that Stoddard was the only person who had custody of Dirubbo when the fatal blow occurred. The third trial occurred with the State missing a key State witness, Calen’s grandfather, who passed away earlier this year. His testimony from an earlier trial was read into the court record last week.

Julie Drake, Chief of the Felony Family Violence Division, and Assistant State’s Attorney Jeremy Eldridge prosecuted this case.

Baltimore Crime interview

Given the distinctly economic bent of several recent comment threads, I've asked economist Anirban Basu to participate in the first ever Baltimore Crime interview. Mr. Basu has graciously agreed to share his vast knowledge about both Baltimore and economics, and will be interviewed next week.

So, what do you want to know about crime, economics, and Baltimore? Ask your questions in the comments section to this post, and I will pass them on to Mr. Basu. While I won't guarantee that all of your questions will be answered, I'm genuinely excited to see what questions you all come up with.

May 1

The Sun has the story of Javon Thompson, the missing toddler whose body might've been found in a suitcase in Philly.

Dang. The HoCo police seem to have it out for teenagers and old ladies.

There was a badass car chase in the Southeastern yesterday.

Charges against Montay Jackson were dropped because the evidence is for shit and the SA office doesn't want to risk double jeopardy. Jackson was charged with manslaughter for dragging Charles Erdman to death after a traffic accident last year.

Preston Feaston was charged with assaulting Examiner photographer Arianne Starnes. If there were bystanders to the attack (and this is Baltimore, so of course there were bystanders), maybe they'll get probation like the two guys who egged on the beatdown of 73-year-old Sun journalist Carl Schoettler.

The nun said no, but the judge said yes, and Jennifer McMenamin spun it into an engrossing yarn:

Sister Muriel Curran faced the man who shoved her to the ground and ripped away her purse three years ago. She quoted Scripture. She thanked him for the guilty plea that spared her a trial. And she asked a Baltimore County judge not to send him to prison ... Police officers waiting for other cases listened in astonishment

... Charles R. Dodson still got 4 1/2 years. "The judge explained that he, like Sister Curran, believes in rehabilitation. But he said he also believes in punishment."

Antajuan Wilson was indicted for the murder of Bryan Adams in Columbia. (If he had to kill a doppleganger of a bad Canadian singer, couldn't he have taken out someone named Celine Dion instead?)

Fred Mackler is a trip. A successful businessman and community philanthropist with a bunch of guns and drugs and bird bangers.

April 30

You'd think that with only two murders, Anna Ditkoff wouldn't have much news this week. You'd think that, and you'd be wrong.

A few more details about the child whose body was found in a suitcase in Philly.

A 15-year-old boy's mom took him to the police station and made him confess to shooting Jawan Keith Tasker in Annapolis.

The body that was found in a car in White Marsh has been ID'd as Jay Royden Alban, who has been missing since February.

Fred Mackler's pyrotechnics were behind the booms in Pikesville.

The alleged Edgewood kidnapper got caught.

More details on Agnes Welch's plan to give conflict resolution training to the city's youth. No word on whether the training will include target practice.

There's some danged fancy packaging for pot seeds.

Canton is taking a stand against the school board.