ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book could not have been written without the cooperation of the Prince George’s County Police Department, and as such I am deeply grateful to Chief Mark Magaw and then-Assistant Chief Kevin Davis for granting me unfettered access to the detectives in the Homicide Unit. In addition, I owe thanks to Julie Parker, the department’s communications director, as well as County Executive Rushern Baker and his staff for permitting me to ride along with the detectives. At the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Office, Wes Adams and Christine Murphy never hesitated to provide valuable insights into their cases.
My agent, Rafe Sagalyn, always offered sage advice and was willing to provide me with a stiff Scotch when needed. Henry Holt’s publisher, Stephen Rubin, took a significant risk by giving me a contract based on the broad outline of an idea, and every single page of this book benefited from the critical eye of my fantastic editor, John Sterling. Maggie Richards, Pat Eisemann, Tracy Locke, and Richard Pracher helped me package and market the book; Kenn Russell, Molly Bloom, and Emi Ikkanda provided crucial help along the way; and Bonnie Thompson gave the manuscript an exceedingly thorough copy edit.
While laboring on this book, I was fortunate to be a reporter for two of the world’s leading news organizations. The Washington Post graciously granted me an extended leave to pursue this project. At the newspaper, I worked with some of the best journalists in the business: Don Graham, Marcus Brauchli, Kevin Merida, Maria Glod, Steven Levingston, Chris Davenport, David Marino-Nachison, Allison Klein, Freddy Kunkle, Ann Marimow, Peter Finn, Clarence Williams, Lynn Medford, and Frances Sellers. I owe special thanks to Vernon Loeb and Mike Semel, two of newspapering’s most encouraging and thoughtful bosses.
In January 2014, I joined Bloomberg News, where I have been blessed to work with wonderful colleagues: Steven Komarow, Michael Shepard, Craig Gordon, Justin Blum, Mark McQuillan, Laurie Asseo, Clark Hoyt, Joe Sobczyk, Nick Johnston, Megan Murphy, John Walcott, David Lynch, and Marty Schenker. I owe them all a great debt for their understanding and patience.
My family provided unflagging encouragement. Without my mom and dad, Kay and Del Wilber, and my sister and her husband, Lindsay and Philip Guthrie, there would be no Good Month for Murder. My two amazing boys, Quinn and Ryan Wilber, provided me with needed distractions. Laura Sullivan provided critical counsel and backing. I have also enjoyed the constant support of wonderful friends, including Jason Longwell (cochair of the Wednesday Night Social Club), Zachary Coile, Lincoln Schroth, Scott Woodworth, Annie Linskey, Jonathan Allen, Andrea Messina, Mike James, Wesley Woo, Doug Murray, David Greene, Ken DeCell, Trevor DiGirolamo, Michael Consilvio, Carolyn and the late Jerry Parr, Brian Roth, Michael de Riesthal, and the patrons and managers of Signature Cigars and W. Curtis Draper Tobacconist in Washington, DC. To the members and coaches of the Bethesda Chevy Chase Nationals and Phillies, two great youth baseball teams, thanks for a pair of terrific seasons that provided relief from book-related stress. In addition, I would like to express my gratitude to the 2013 World Series champions, the Boston Red Sox, for providing such a thrilling diversion at a time when I really needed it.
Finally, my most important thank-you is reserved for the women and men of the Prince George’s County Homicide Unit. You allowed me into your world and trusted me to write about it fairly, factually, and objectively. You let me trail you everywhere and always answered my questions, even though I never gave you a proper Miranda warning. I hope you recognize the words in these pages as the truth, or as close as I could get to it.
INDEX
The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your e-book. Please use the search function on your e-reading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.
Adams, Salaam “Slug,” murder case
Allen, Scott (pseudonym)
Alsobrooks, Angela
Andrews, Alana
Annapolis Road
Avelar, David, murder case
Baltimore
Baltimore Police Department
Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Sun
Barnhardt, Mike
Battle, Brandon
Bellino, Joe
Bergstrom, Joe
Bladensburg Police Department
Bloods
Blow, Michael
Blyther, Charles, Jr., murder case
Boulden, Jamie
Bowie State University
Bracey, Victoria
Brooks, Andre
Brown, Ben
Buck, Jeff (pseudonym)
Buggs, Tonya (Jane Doe), police-shooting victim
Bull, Jeremy
Bunce, Debbie
Bunce, Joe
Burdynski, George Stanley, Jr.
Cannon, Anthony
Capitol Heights
Chapel Oaks Drive
Chartsey Street
College Park
Computer Voice Stress Analyzer
Cosby, Trasee
Crandell, Sherry
Crazy K
Crowell, Beth
Crowell, Mike
Davis, Kevin
D.C. Divas
Deere, Sean
Delaney, Mike
Dougherty, Paul
Doyle, Kenny
Eastern Avenue
Ebaugh, Krystel
Ebaugh, Mike
Eckrich, Jeff
Ellis, Sean, murder case
Facebook
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Fennern, Richard
Flores, Eddie
Forestville
Fort Washington
Gaither, Gevalle
Gaither, Irma
Garner, Denise (pseudonym)
Gonzalez, Nicolas, murder case
Gordon, Gerry (pseudonym)
Great Recession
Gunter, Harvey Brandon “B-Gutter”
Gurry, David
Hamlin, Allyson
Harris, Spencer
Hill, Jonathan
Hillcrest Heights
Hispanic gangs
Homicide (Simon)
Instagram
Jamaican gangs
Jernigan, Kerry
Johnson, Jack B.
Kettering
Kidd, Aaron, murder case
Langley Park
Laurel
Lewisdale
Madison, James
Magaw, Mark
Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang
Marlow Heights Shopping Center
Martin, Wayne
Maryland Court of Special Appeals
Maryland State Police
Mayhew, Brian “Block”
Mayhew, Cynthia
Mayhew, Nicoh, murder case
Mazzei, Paul
McDonald, Greg
McIntyre, Geraldine, murder case
McKelvin, Anthony, murder case
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center
MedStar Washington Hospital Center
Miller, Kelcey
Mitchell, David B.
Mitchellville
Murray, Jason (taxi driver, pseudonym)
Myers, Kenan
National Society
Nichols, George
911 calls
Norris, David (pseudonym)
Obama, Barack
Ofoeme, Robert
Oxon Hill
Oxon Run Drive
Oxon Run Park
Penn Mar apartment complex
Powers, Michael
Prince George’s County
demographics and crime rates
map
Prince George’s County Crime Solvers
Prince George’s County Hospital Center
Prince George’s County jail
Prince George’s County police academy
Prince George’s County Police Department
African American officers
conf
lict-resolution program
crime-suppression plan
Criminal Investigation Division (CID)
District 3
domestic violence and
fugitive squad
headquarters
Hispanic officers
Robbery Unit
Sexual Assault Unit (SAU)
Prince George’s County Police Department, Homicide Unit
arrest rate
autopsy rules and
cell phone records and
child fatalities and
clearance rate
crime suppression plan and
“defects” and
demographics of
distribution of cases and
DNA evidence and
evidence techs and
fire deaths case and
forensic investigator and
homicide rate
February 2013 homicide list
February 2013 homicide map
February 2013 investigation results
January 2011 murders
M-10 Squad
M-20 Squad
M-30 Squad
M-40-Squad
M-90 Squad
medical examiner and
overdose victims and deaths from natural causes
police-radio 10 codes and
press conferences and
red ball cases and
rotation system and
sergeants’ jobs
shooting vs. stabbing deaths and
smokers and
victims’ demographics
victims’ families and
youth killings and
Rane, Stephen A., murder case
Rayle, Billy
Reilly, Brian
Ritchie Volunteer Fire Department
Rodriguez, Marcos
Ross, Marckel, murder case
San Francisco 49ers
Schartner, Tony
Seat Pleasant
Shapiro, Denise
Shuford, Andre, murder case
Silver Spring
Simon, David
Smith, Kimberly
Southern Avenue
Stanley, Amber, murder case
STD victim
Stewart, Barbara
Straughan, Michael
Temple Hills
Thompson, Charles, murder case
Turcotte, Angie
Upshaw, David (pseudonym)
Walker, Charles, Jr., murder case
Walker, Eric, murder case
Walters Lane
Ward, James Alphonso “JuJu”
Washington, DC
Washington, DC, Police Department
Washington Post
Washington Redskins
Washington Times
Watson, Trevel
Watts, Billy
Watts, Shari
Williams, Tayvon
Windsor, D. J.
Winston, Jonathan “John”
Winston, Stanley “Stan”
Woodmore mansion
Yuman, Meyder Bladimir, murder case
ALSO BY DEL QUENTIN WILBER
Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Del Quentin Wilber is the New York Times bestselling author of Rawhide Down, an account of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan. An award-winning reporter who previously worked for the Baltimore Sun and the Washington Post, he now covers the Justice Department for the Los Angeles Times. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Epigraph
Prince George’s County Homicide Unit, February 2013
Map
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Epilogue
Notes
Author’s Note
Homicides in Prince George’s County, February 2013
Acknowledgments
Index
Also by Del Quentin Wilber
About the Author
Copyright
A Good Month for Murder. Copyright © 2016 by Del Quentin Wilber. All rights reserved. For information, address Henry Holt and Co., 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.henryholt.com
Cover design by Rick Pracher
“Do-Re-Mi” Copyright © 1959 by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II Copyright Renewed Williamson Music (ASCAP), an Imagem Company owner of publication and allied rights throughout the World International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission.
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Wilber, Del Quentin, author.
Title: A good month for murder: the inside story of a homicide squad / Del Quentin Wilber.
Description: New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2016.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015036515 | ISBN 9780805098815 (hardback) | ISBN 9780805098822 (electronic book)
Subjects: LCSH: Homicides—Washington Metropolitan Area. | Criminal Investigation—Washington Metropolitan Area. | BISAC: TRUE CRIME / Murder / General. | BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Law Enforcement. | SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology.
Classification: LCC HV6534.W18 W55 2016 | DDC 363.25/95230975251—dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015036515
The names of some persons described in this book have been changed. In each case, the use of a pseudonym has been noted.
First Edition: June 2016
Map by Gene Thorp
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A Good Month for Murder Page 27