gaithersblog.net

• Sebastian Montes writes, Arrest made in Latino’s beating death:
  

  Detric Lewarren Thompson, 28, of 6 Carver Lane, was charged Friday with first-degree murder and first-degree assault. He is being held on no bond at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Boyds. If convicted, he faces the death penalty.

  Shortly before 9 p.m. on Feb. 17, Aureliano Evelio Miranda-Fuentes died after he and a Latino friend were robbed and attacked by three men wielding a baseball bat and iron pipes behind their apartment complex on Route 355, across from Gaithersburg High School. The friend managed to escape and helped police draft a composite of one of the suspects, later determined to be Thompson.

• Meghan Tierney writes, Ranger guilty in comrade’s murder:

  The Army Ranger accused of killing his roommate and former subordinate was found guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday after an 11-day trial.

  See my previous post for more on this story.

• Meghan Tierney writes, Restaurant manager charged with sex assaults:
  

  A Germantown man who allegedly took advantage of female acquaintances he had invited to his apartment for drinks was charged Friday with second-degree rape and other sex offenses, police said.

  Eric David Rose, 31, of Germantown, plans to contest the charges, his lawyer said Monday.

• Sebastian Montes writes, Attempts to discredit victims worry advocates:
  

  County prosecutors and others will soon be schooled in the intricacies of special visas that give legal status to illegal immigrants who are victims of certain crimes.

  The April 16 seminar on using U-visas as a tool in the fight against domestic violence is being conducted by victims’ advocates who fear the defense tactics of a case tried in January could signal a trend in attempts to discredit as opportunists those who are candidates for the protection.

• Titus Ledbetter III and Patricia M. Murret write, Moving county fair would make sense to upcounty residents:
  

  Clarksburg and Boyds residents are excited about the possibility of the county fairgrounds moving to the area, while Gaithersburg residents are adjusting to the idea and the possibilities it presents.

• Patricia M. Murret writes, Gaithersburg considers pay increases as revenue drops:
  

  Despite decreased revenues and project cuts, city officials have proposed that all city staff get a 2 percent merit increase in salary on top of a 4.5 percent cost of living increase in its $52 million fiscal year 2009 budget.

• C. Benjamin Ford writes, County foreclosures will keep going up, experts predict:
  

  Montgomery County’s foreclosure problem is only going to get worse, housing experts told the Montgomery County Council on Tuesday.

• Patrick Dunne writes, Kensington hires town manager:
  

  Former Gaithersburg city manager Sanford Daily will serve as the interim Kensington town manager.

Update 5: Smith sentenced to 35 years.

Update 4: Dan Morse has fleshed out his story in the Washington Post:

“This man got exactly what he deserved,” Michael McQueen, McQueen’s father, said of Smith after the verdict was returned. “We’re very, very, very relieved.”

But the defense offered little evidence that McQueen, 22, suffered from depression. He had plans to get a haircut, according to testimony, and was going to attend a job fair.

“Nobody bought into” the suicide claim, said a 40-year-old juror, speaking on condition of anonymity to maintain her privacy. “If anything, we thought [Smith] was depressed.”

The disposals of the bullets and gun were particularly incriminating, the 40-year-old juror said.

“Geez, that was probably the one thing we all had issues with, especially the thing about removing the bullets,” she said. “That was one of the defining moments of finding his guilt.”

Update 3: Stephen Manning continues to update his report. In this AOL-hosted version, it states:

But one juror, a 37-year-old woman who declined to give her name for privacy reasons and due to the nature of the case, said Smith’s behavior after the shooting cast doubt on his claim of innocence. The blood evidence showed he was in the room at the time of the shooting, she said. And jurors didn’t think McQueen showed any sign of suicide before his death.

“He had plans to get a haircut,” she said. “Suicidal people don’t make plans.”

Update 2: An updated version of Stephen Manning’s AP story revises the maximum sentence, and gives a date for the hearing:

The jury convicted Gary Smith of second-degree murder — depraved heart — in the killing of Michael McQueen II, but declined to convict him of first-degree murder, which could have led to a life sentence. Smith, who also was convicted of a handgun charge, could get up to 50 years in prison at sentencing, set for May 27.

Update: I now have a Google-hosted link for the AP story, and the Washington Post has a brief item up from Dan Morse.

AP writer Stephen Manning reports via the Army Times, Former Ranger found guilty of murder:

A Maryland jury found a former Army Ranger guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday in the shooting death of a fellow Ranger he had served with in Afghanistan.

Gary Smith, 25, was accused of killing Michael McQueen, 22, with a gun shot to the head in the apartment the two shared in Gaithersburg in September 2006.

Smith was found guilty of second-degree murder — depraved heart — but the jury declined to convict him of first-degree murder. The depraved heart qualification differs from second-degree murder in that it is not intentional and requires an extreme disregard for human life. The second-degree murder charge carries up to 30 years in prison.

He was also convicted of using a handgun in the commission of a felony.

Also, Meghan Tierney writes in the Gazette, Ranger guilty in comrade’s murder:

The Army Ranger accused of killing his roommate and former subordinate was found guilty of second-degree murder on Wednesday after an 11-day trial.

Also, note this comment from someone who says that he or she was a juror in this case.

For more on this story, see my previous posts.

AP Writer Stephen Manning reports via the Times-Picayune, Jury to begin deliberations on Army Ranger murder:

Prosecutors recreated the scene of the crime, bringing in the bloody section of carpet and the chair McQueen sat in when he died. They showed jurors a photo of McQueen’s body, sitting in front of a television. A beer bottle and the television remote are on the carpet near his right hand.

“This is a guy who is enjoying his evening,” Hill said. “This is not a person who is going to commit suicide.”

But Smith’s defense lawyer also used crime scene photos to prove his claim that McQueen killed himself. Those included some used by a forensic experts who said the nature of McQueen’s wound and blood evidence from the scene was proof that he killed himself.

Also, Meghan Tierney writes in the Gazette, Deliberations expected in Ranger’s murder trial:

The state alleged that Smith, who grew up in Derwood, tried to get away with murder while the defense contended that Smith, the only other person in the apartment at the time, was covering up his friend’s suicide because he feared he would get blamed for McQueen’s death.

For more on this story, see my previous posts.