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.

Crazy in the Suburbs

WTF? Kenneth G. Ryan, age 21 of Catonsville, got 30 years for killing his 15-day-old son last year after huffing "Dust-Off," a computer keyboard cleaning product.

A "barricade situation" in a Roger's Forge rowhome ended peacefully.

Psychiatric evaluations will determine if frati/mati/patri/cidal teen Nicholas Browning will be tried as an adult or a juvenile.

Burglary Report from Roland Park

[edited]

Hello all,
The house at 100 Woodlawn Road, on the corner of Cold Spring and Woodlawn, was burglarized yesterday afternoon at around 3 pm. Randy S. came home during the burglary, finding a person or persons in his basement. Randy was very smart and got out of the house as soon as he realized there was someone in it, and he immediately called 911.

The burglar got in by breaking the panes out of a small window into the butler’s pantry, a window that faces Cold Spring. He/they crawled through the window. They took Randy’s laptop outside and tried, without succeeding, to log into his wireless network. They brought the laptop back into the house and were in the basement when they were scared off by Randy’s return. Randy told me that nothing else was taken (not the jars of coins, any of his wife’s jewelry, their CDs or electronic equipment) and nothing was ransacked. Randy and Priya’s alarm wasn’t turned on.

A house on Ridgewood Road was broken into in the middle of the day last week and a laptop was stolen. That house had its alarm turned on and there was a small dog in the house.

Randy plans to point out the similarities between the two incidents to the police. Just in case this is a developing trend, it’d be best to avoid leaving laptops where they can be seen through a window, if at all possible.

thanks for sending, Ron

Baltimore baby's remains found in Philly?

The remains of a baby were found in a suitcase behind a rowhouse in South Philly. The baby might be a child who went missing from Baltimore in 2006 or 2007. (Thanks, Burger!)

April 29

A body was found in a car in White Marsh, and WJZ is the only place I could find it reported. Oh, maybe the bloggers at B who replaced the Sun's Baltimore County crime reporters will write about it!

Sweet! Operation Crippler is underway.

A kidnapping victim in Edgewood escaped after his attackers crashed into a lightpole.

Lots and lots of stories on alleged perv Timothy Rhodes. Just remember, innocent until proven guilty, right?

Hmmmm... a PI hired by Norman Stamp's widow asks an interesting question that ends with a preposition: "Did (Stamp) have the brass knuckles on as they say? How do you reach for a gun if you have knuckles on?"

The morning news is full of fine questions: "Where is the outrage in Baltimore?"

Mike Castillo was indicted, and MoCo police say they followed proper procedures in responding to three desperate calls from the kids' mother.

Six incarcerated teens were charged as adults after they responded to a counseling session by beating the crap out of the counselor.

Missing witness Ronald P. Johnson Jr. got a year of home detention and was ordered to await the trial of one of the alleged participants in the 2004 Randallstown High shooting.

John Scott Bealefeld is going to the crazy house after pleading to second-degree murder.

There were some freaky booms happening in Pikesville, but relax, Bernadette Woods: "Baltimore County Police have arrested Frederick Lee Mackler, 59, of the 8000-block of Brynmor Court, 21208. He was identified by police last night for being responsible for a multitude of complaints that the community made concerning loud explosion sounds in the area."

Police are seeking other victims of alleged pervy gym teacher Timothy Rhodes, who was arrested for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl. Rhodes taught at Pleasant Plains Elementary.

Two Years for Murder Over Handgun

At a hearing today Crystal Nikkita Newby, 22, of the 2900 block of Southland Avenue, pled guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter. Judge Timothy J. Doory sentenced Newby to eight years in prison suspend all but two years and four years probation.

On September 14, 2007 Newby fatally stabbed Qasim Kabah, 29, on the front porch of a house located in the 2500 block of Terra Firma Road. Newby and Kabah had been arguing over the illegal sale of a 9mm Tech 9 handgun and that argument became physical, leading to the stabbing.

Assistant State’s Attorney James Francamano prosecuted this case.

Mark Castillo indicted

Hot from the SA's office, news that (alleged) kid-killer Mark Castillo was indicted.

State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy announced that the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Mark Castillo, 42, of Rockville, Maryland for three counts of first-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death today.

Court documents allege on March 30, 2008, Mark Castillo drowned his three children Anthony Castillo, 6, Austin Castillo, 4, and Athena Castillo, 2, in the bathtub of the Marriott Hotel in downtown Baltimore City.

An arraignment is scheduled for May 19, 2008 before Judge W. Michel Pierson, Room 329 Courthouse East.

The case will be prosecuted by Julie Drake, Chief of the Felony Family Violence Division.

April 28

A woman's body was found in a rowhouse on N. Milton St., but the initial investigation shows she might be an OD rather than a murder victim. An autopsy will be performed.

Some guy was attacked with a machete in Cockeysville.

Sarah Kreager talks to Luke B. about the bus attack.

Oh, thank heavens! Sheila D. has a plan! I can finally rest easy.

I swear, it seems like there are more fires in HarCo than there are pervs in HoCo.

A triple shooting at 1907 N. Dukeland in the SW on the West Side in Walbrook.

The Sun's Greg Garland and Lynne Anderson have a special report on the mess that is the DSS.

Van Smith: "Before his death, Federal prosecutor Jonathan Luna argued that Milton Tillman Jr. was a notorious and violent drug dealer."
(thanks Stan)

Also in the CP: "Ken Barnes, The Sno-Ball Stand Sex Offender, Still Awaits Release From Jail"

Guilty Plea, Indictment in Christine Richardson Murder

Lloyd Chase, 17, of the 2100 block of McHenry Street pleaded guilty today to "accessory after a fact to murder" as his trial was scheduled to begin in Baltimore Circuit Court. Sentencing will be held sub-curia until after he testifies in a related case. Chase will face a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The Baltimore City Grand jury indicted Chase August 3, 2007 for first-degree murder and other counts. The Grant Jury also indicted Calvin Puryear, 20, of the 2600 block of Dulaney Street.

Court documents allege that Puryear and Chase are responsible for stabbing Christine Richardson, 15, left, on July 10, 2007 in her home in the 300 block of S. Fulton Avenue. Richardson was stabbed several times and her throat slashed following an argument with the two suspects. Richardson died the same day.

The Demons Did It

Stephen Todd Nelson, presumably recovered from his cleaning-product coma and accused of throwing his three-year-old son, Turner, into the Patapsco, pleaded not guilty to murder and child abuse resulting in death at his arraignment this morning. The court scheduled a July 29, 2008 trial date at 11 a.m., before Judge Robert Kershaw.

April 25

Here's the story of Norman Stamp, the police officer who was shot and killed at Haven Place. His last words were "I'm a cop."

Jean Marabella: "If you care about Baltimore, you should read the transcript of what (Judge) Young said... . No, don't just read it, clip it out of the paper or print it on your computer and put it in your pocket. Or stick it in the frame of your mirror, forward it to someone, do something other than just let it pass unheard."

I don't often say this, but Jean's correct. Here's the link again in case you blew off reading Judge David Young's comments.

In the "it'd be funny if it weren't true" department, an Examiner photographer was assaulted outside Reginald F. Lewis High School as she was doing a story on school violence.

Nancy Schmidt was hardly alone: lots of seniors are victimized every day.

Catherine Palmer's bail was lowered to 10 grand.

The dude who crashed his car and killed himself, his girlfriend, and her family on Rt. 1 was here to collect an inheritance, which he and his lady wisely spent on crack, heroin, and PCP.

Espinosa and Canela may be granted an appeal.

While it's awesome that Garland Williams led the construction of a Browning family memorial garden at Cockeysville Middle School, it pisses me off that things like this never seem to happen in the city. I mean, where's the memorial garden for the Dawson family?

If this batch of thieves pool their resources, they can totally start a kickass band with one of them fancy MySpace pages.

Liquor Board chairman Stephan Fogleman slapped Anthony Triplin's hand and then renewed the license for Trip's Place, which is the alcoholic side of Club Choices.

Obey Your Needly Master, Hon

Buz reports that the Hampden needle exchange van has quietly moved somewhere else.

April 24

Damn. An on-duty cop shot and killed an off-duty cop who drew his weapon in the parking lot of the prestigious Haven Place.

I forgot to link to the Ink yesterday. This week, Anna tells us that the dead landlord has been added to the city's murder tally, and that the (alleged) killers had a lovely evening with their family the night after they (allegedly) killed the man. Anna also ID'd the man who was killed on 6th St. as Stanley Johnson.

The flaming tow truck driver is home from the hospital, and the douchebags who set him on fire are wanted for attempted murder.

Fucking Yankees fans, stealing our cell phones and medication and stuff.

God and Pat Jessamy both seem to support Jolita Berry's decision to file charges against the 15-year-old student who beat her down.

15-year-old student body vice-president Nakita McDaniels led two other group assaults on lone girls. One day, Nakita, the mayorship shall be yours. 'Til then, though, your ass is going to jail.

Two other students from the bus attack are suing because their bus privileges were revoked. Maybe Dr. Todd should sue for having his driving privileges revoked.

Jason Allen got hit with murder charges for allegedly killing Jeff Payne during a Valentine's Day party near Morgan State.

The alleged conspiracy against former Southwestern flex squad leader Sgt. Robert Smith deepens.

I love the fact that I can read a headline like "Parents fault Abingdon school over handling of gun incident" and wonder if people are pissed because the school did too much or didn't do enough.

Life in Prison for Juanita Robinson

At a hearing today, Judge John C. Themelis sentenced Juanita Robinson, 28, of the 800 block of Bradhurst Road to life in prison. A Baltimore City jury convicted Robinson February 14, 2008 of first-degree murder. On March 31, 2007 Juanita Robinson shot Andre McBride, 21, in the head in the 6600 Knottwood Court. Robinson was the victim’s girlfriend and was the last person seen with McBride before the shooting. McBride died later at Sinai Hospital.

Robinson previously served six months for killing 16-year-old Derrick Colbert (see last para).

April 23

Sounds like Baltimore was a little bit better with Nancy Schmidt around.

Two guys on the side of 695 set a tow truck driver on fire yesterday morning. (Sun coverage.)

In a completely shocking and unexpected turn of events, someone got shot on N. Carey St.

The fifth graders are packing heat.

"This is why I'm disgusted. The system has failed the people in the community. The Police Department is suffering from a lack of oversight and a lack of character. Today was a victory, no doubt, and it shows that an average lay citizen can bring charges and follow through it with limited resources and still bring a guilty verdict." (Examiner coverage.)

Poor Vernice Harris. Nobody wanted to help her. Nobody cared. So how could it possibly be her fault that she gave methadone to little Bryanna? Poor, poor Vernice.

Joseph McInnis Jr. got nailed for a rape 24 years after the fact. As part of his plea deal, charges related to a murder 21 years ago were dropped.

April 22

Police said a break-in might have been the motivation for the murder of 74-year-old Nancy Schmidt early yesterday morning. (Examiner coverage.)

The Rev. Rush "noticed a lot of things that was out of order" at the fatal memorial service for Anthony Izzard. My guess is he was referring to the gunshots, not the noun/verb mismatch.

"Baltimore prosecutors are dismissing dozens of drug cases from two police officers banned from testifying in court amid suspicions they have been untruthful in charging documents."

An 11-year-old was robbed at gunpoint on E. Monument St.

An AAC cop got into a gunfight during a Brooklyn Park traffic stop.

Drunk Dr. Todd will get off with a year or so in jail, some AA meetings, and a $5,000 donation.

Murder By Funeral

Two men were shot, one fatally and one in the buns, outside of Unity United Methodist Church in the 1700 block of W. Lexington St. following a funeral for Anthony Lamont Izard Sr. (aka Anthony Izzard), victim #53.

Seriously?!

Says the big E, "City prosecutors in Baltimore are refusing to prosecute homicide cases that don't have the cooperation of at least two witnesses."

Media Blabber

The blog is on page 8 of this month's Blender magazine, under Club Paradox, The True Vine, Floristree (?) and Faidley Seafood:

Every month, Blender gets its travel agent on, spotlighting a different city with the help of in-the-know locals. This month, Baltimore: the food you should eat, the club where you should party and the corners from The Wire you should probably avoid.

5. BEST RESOURCE TO PLAN YOUR TRIP
Baltimorecrime.blogspot.com
Thanks to The Wire, most outsiders know Baltimore as a violent slum; this blog does little to change that. You can use its police-blotter-style entries ("Man shot on the corner of W. Lafayette and N. Payson") to avoid dangerous areas-- or to map out your own windows-up, doors-locked tour of Bodymore, Murdaland.

Fuck!!

As Galt posted, WBAL reports that 74-year-old Emily Schmidt was stabbed to death in the 200 block of West 31st Street at about 5:30 a.m. today.
I hate it when it's kids or old people!
UPDATE: Turns out her name was Nancy, not Emily.

April 21

As Galt reported in the comments yesterday, a man was murdered early yesterday morning on 6th St. in the Southern.

Baltimore City is safer than any of the surrounding counties.*

Edward and Catherine Palmer allegedly killed their landlord in self-defense. Then they burned his dead body in self-defense, borrowed a car in self-defense, and dumped the landlord's body in self-defense.

If you decide to go-a-killin', make sure there's only one witness.

The BPD gave the feds evidence related to the shooting of Edward Lamont Hunt.

A skateboarder broke into Eastern Technical High School, removed a door, and used it as a skateboard ramp. It wasn't all fun and games for skateboarders, though, because a teenage boy's board was stolen during an implied armed robbery in Parkville.

The opening six words of Kelsey Volkmann's story make me wonder how many teachers aren't tired of students assaulting them.


* Based on the number of non-fatal shootings and armed robberies reported in the Sun for the weekend of April 19-20, 2008. A 22-year-old man was shot in the leg in Marley (AAC), a 45-year-old man was robbed while walking in Columbia early yesterday morning, and two men were shot in two separate incidents -- one of which was a home invasion -- in Baltimore County on Saturday night. Meanwhile, there was only one non-fatal shooting reported in the City: a 21-year-old man was shot in the leg on N. Robinson St. on Saturday morning.

Can't Get Enough BCrime?

I'll be on a panel discussion this Thursday at 8 p.m. at Goucher, along with some very interesting characters.

April 19

Sounds like the mystery victim found in Middle River last week, right, was a landlord killed by two tenants.

Butterfingers! Teacher arrested after marijuana falls out of her purse during class

The EEOC has filed a lawsuit against McCormick & Schmick’s for alleged racial discrimination against black applicants and employees. :(

It turns out the 70 animal bodies found in Fredneck belonged to foxes, not dogs or cats.

The Lullaby of Bumberg

Big news!
Our friend Shayne has streamed Baltimore City Police radio transmissions from the Northern and Northwestern districts, and you can tune in at Scanbaltimore.com!
The links to the feeds are on the left of the page.
For the most action, tune in Fridays and Saturdays at about 2:15 a.m. (though there's always something going on).

For it to make any sense you'll need to refer to your "10-Codes"

April 18

The BPD doesn't have the 50 grand it needs to either exonerate Douglas Scott Arey or confirm that he's a killer.

"An unidentified man who was found dead Sunday in a new townhouse development in Middle River in eastern Baltimore County was killed in East Baltimore." There's a sketch of the victim, right.

A bunch of pending drug cases involving Sgt. Allen Adkins and Detective Deryl Turner are being dropped.

As bupe is being used more, more of it is being used illegally.

In HarCo, Samuel and Donna Merryman got 22 years each for starving their 8-year-old son to death. "... two of the couple's other children provided a look inside the family home in Whiteford -- where, they said, their brother was bound, strapped to a crib and deprived of solid food." (Examiner article.)

Kerri King got off on a HarCo driving charge that should've sent her to prison. She's still being held in the city for killing Courtney Brooks.

More Teen Hooligans!

Yikes, a 15-year-old boy stabbed a 14-year-old boy in the neck and back with a pair of scissors at Lemmel Middle School.

Har! "Police charged five Montgomery County teens and one adult [last week] with being linked to what authorities said was a scheme to steal guns from a student's home and sell them to classmates, a sale broken up when a 14-year-old potential customer accidentally fired a bullet into the wall of a restroom stall."

... and one brokedown stripper! If you've ever doubted that booze is bad for the complexion, check out this picture of Kerri King (alleged hit-and-run killer of Officer Courtney Brooks).

April 17

Tavon Smith was fatally shot yesterday afternoon in the 2900 block of Garrison Blvd. in the Northwestern.

Who needs stupid shows like CSI when you've got the Southwestern? Seriously, if the shit going on over there were in a Mark Wahlberg movie, I'd dismiss it as bad screenwriting. (Here's yesterday's article on the police shooting, and a couple of paragraphs in the Examiner.)

We're not prejudiced against either side of town, though. Last night, a dude got shot on the west side, and a dude got shot on the east side.

Are they spreading shitty sludge around poor black neighborhoods in Baltimore, or are they treating the soil with compost to help eliminate toxins and reduce risks of lead poisoning?

Cynthia McKay was convicted for killing her boyfriend and setting his body on fire. She faces 30 years. (Sun coverage.)

Tyron Montray McGowan admitted to killing Kwame Travon Johnson last month in Annapolis.

PDJ: Daddy likes to touch his teenage daughter and watch her take showers. Maybe some nice men in prison will like touching daddy and watching daddy take showers.

Rape now occurs the moment a woman says no and she is ignored, even if it's in the middle of a deed to which she's already consented.

Some Fredneck dumped the bodies of more than 70 dogs in the woods.

Third Trial Starts for Erik Stoddard

A third trial has begun for Erik Stoddard, accused of the murder of three-year-old Calen Faith Dirubbo in 2002. Stoddard's first conviction was thrown out because a toddler's "utterance" was considered hearsay by the CSA. Here's info on the case from the second trial which concluded in May of last year; that conviction was also thrown out. Reported the Sun last year:

... the judge in the case ordered a new trial, saying he should have asked jurors during the selection process whether they had any racial prejudice against the defendant.

Circuit Judge Allen L. Schwait's decision was based on a little-known but sweeping 1999 Maryland Court of Appeals ruling that a defendant has an absolute right to question jurors about racial bias, even in cases with no apparent racial dynamic.

Stoddard, 26, is white. Calen Faith Dirubbo, the 3-year-old who was fatally beaten in June 2002, was white. All of the state witnesses in the case were white. The attorneys and the judge were white. The jury was made up of eight blacks and four whites.

This case has inspired some interesting comments over the years.

April 16

Hot diggity damn. Only one new murder in the Ink (that of Anthony Izzard), and details on Yolanda Brown (who was ruled a homicide victim on 4/8). One of the other men who was shot at the same time as Izzard was apparently struck by a stray bullet while sitting in his house.

A boy was shot in the face this morning in West Baltimore.

18-year-old Charles Jakes didn't mean to kill his 14-year-old girlfriend Shawndreta, who was found lying in a bed naked from the waist down. Jakes accidentally shot himself in the thumb at the same time. Too bad he didn't accidentally shoot himself in the head. Congratulations Charlie, you are the douchebag du jour.

The burned body of an unidentified man has been ruled as a homicide, but police aren't releasing the cause of death.

Despite what the Jessup teenagers who got shot say, the cops say they only fired one shot.

PDJ: Scott Carpenter of Dundalk pleaded guilty to receiving kiddie porn. Maybe Chuckie Jakes can shoot off Carpenter's wang.

The state dropped charges against Patrick Byers so the feds could wholeheartedly nail him. Or so we hope. (Byers was indicted for killing witness Carl Lackl.)

Rapist Eugene Waller got 20 years.

Evening Update

City Officer Mark Spila was shot in the upper hip during a routine traffic stop around Poplar Grove Street and Lanvale Avenue in the SW. The suspect is still at large.
(TG the bullet didn't hit the "ephemeral artery"!!
UPDATE: the officer is recovering from surgery, and WBAL corrected the typo)

Eighteen-year-old Charles Jakes has been arrested for the murder of 14-year-old Shawndreta Griffin.

Party is sure to be a verb as "the b Street Team" holds a "Happy Hour" tonight at "The Green [sic] Turtle" in Towson. (Yes, I just posted that for no other reason than to annoy you).

April 15

Jee-zus. Practically every headline in the local section of the Sun is a crime story. I may be the only blogger cheering for the crime staff over there, but dammit, I'm cheering loud. Meanwhile, the Examiner site has been totally redesigned, and I kinda like it. Anyhoo... on to the wacky hijinks of us Baltimorons.

The girl who was killed on N. Patterson Park Ave. yesterday morning has been ID'd as Shawndreta Griffin. Shawndreta was actually 14, not 15 as previously reported. (I drove down that street last night, and it is one of the bleakest streets I've seen in this city. Greenmount Ave. is like a healthy and thriving neighborhood in comparison.)

A typo contributed to the murder of Jeffrey (aka Jeffery) Clinton Butler.

Antajuan Wilson confessed. Hopefully they spelled his name right.

The boy killed by the wayward van on Saturday has been ID'd as 3-year-old Kyrell Sellers. Police are investigating the possibility that the two cars might have been racing.

The Griffins of Rodgers Forge were indicted for murdering their 2-year-old son. (It's taking all my restraint to not write something like "HA! Serves you right, fuckers!" Oh... shoot... I just wrote it. Oh well.)

In case you missed MJB's post yesterday, DNA evidence led police to 46-year-old Roger Ervin, aka the alleged Roland Park Rapist, pictured at right. (Despite my challenges to Lori Barrett at "b," there's nothing today on the Parkville rapist. Oh well.)

There was a bizarre stabbing/wrestling incident in the can at Douglass High School yesterday.

In other stabby news, a man was knifed by a relative at a family get-together in Edgewood on Friday night.

If the schools weren't run as if a herd of lobotomized cattle held power on North Ave., Andres Alonso might have better luck getting volunteers. Oh, and he also wants to quadruple funding for gifted students. Does videotaping the beatdown of a teacher count as "gifted?"

There's something to Alonso's statement about volunteers, though, as the Towson/Cherry Hill partnership suggests.

Ick. People in Jessup want to castrate the police. Oh, castigate. That makes more sense. My bad. (Despite my stupid commentary, it's an interesting article. Citizens are pissed about the police shooting in the Pleasant Chase community last week.)

Can we start a new feature? The Douchebag du jour? If so, Sanford M. Abrams totally gets my vote.

The honorary DDJ award goes to the Fells Point double-parker who attacked the woman writing him a traffic ticket.

More fires in Harson County.

That's Cold

Tribune lays off reporters, replaces them with hired bloggers to comment on the remaining reporters’ inadequacies.

First-Degree Conviction in Daniel Savage Murder

Today a Baltimore City Circuit Court jury convicted Alton Teel of the 3700 block of Bonview Street of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Daniel Savage in February 2008 in the 1500 block of N. Bradford Street in East Baltimore.

At approximately 8:40 a.m. on February 21, 2007 officers and medics responded to the 1500 block of N. Bradford Street where the victim Daniel Savage was found lying in the street with multiple bullet shot wounds. Mr. Savage succumbed to his injuries.

Assistant State’s Attorney Theresa Shaffer prosecuted this case. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Roland Park Rapist Caught!

For real this time (we hope)!

"Roger Ervin, of the 3500 block of Dudley Ave., faces numerous charges of rape, sex offenses, assault, handgun and burglary charges, police said. He was charged on Sunday after detectives linked DNA samples taken from the victim."

Here's links to the stories from last August, (amazingly, the ones from the Examiner still work) and a picture of Ervin at right. (Thanks anon.)

Fatal homicide on east side

WJZ reports that "Baltimore Police are investigating a fatal homicide in East Baltimore. ... Police say a male was shot in the head."

Nick at the Sun tells us that a 15-year-old girl was shot in the head in the 1900 block of N. Patterson Park Ave. (which, for the record, is nowhere near Patterson Park). A suspect is in custody. A construction worker at the scene said he saw six or seven kids being taken out of the house, and two of them were young enough to be placed in baby seats.

And yes, it appears that this was, indeed, a fatal homicide.

(Thanks to Mr. Mephistopheles for the info)