On February 7^th, in the District Court for Montgomery County, MD, Judge Sherri Koch sentenced defendant, Kyhree Gardner, 18, of Silver Spring, to 5-years suspend, all but 9-months in prison, and three years of probation upon release.

Staff at Burnt Mills Elementary School found a school laptop bag containing a ghost gun near the basketball court after hours on October 20^th 2021. The defendant was playing basketball at the time and was later arrested after staff contacted police and an investigation ensued.

Gardner pleaded guilty to two charges: illegal possession of a firearm and possession of a dangerous weapon on school property.

Judge David Lease sentenced Rebecca Vo to six years (20 years suspend all but 6) and five-years of probation upon release. This stems from a motor vehicle collision on the evening of March 27, 2021 at Darnestown Rd. and Blackberry Drive in Gaithersburg, MD.

She pleaded guilty to two counts gross negligent manslaughter by vehicle for the deaths of Pran and Pamela Sharma and is facing a maximum of six years per a plea agreement which was reached in consultation with the State and the family of the victims.

The events of that evening were described in the following proffer of facts which were read into the court record at today’s proceeding and it is as follows:

On Saturday, March 27, 2021, at approximately 8:30pm, a fatal collision occurred in the intersection of Darnestown Road and Blackberry Drive, in Gaithersburg, Montgomery County, Maryland. Rebecca Vo, operating a 2017 BMW i3, was traveling eastbound on Darnestown Road approaching the intersection with Blackberry Drive. Pran Sharma, operating a 2018 Toyota RAV4, was traveling westbound on Darnestown Road and was preparing to make a left turn into the residential neighborhood at Blackberry Drive. Pamela Sharma was the front passenger in the Toyota. The BMW struck the Toyota in the intersection. The Toyota rotated clockwise, struck the curb, rolled onto its driver’s side, and came to rest back on its wheels.

Pran Sharma was transported to Inova Fairfax Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased on March 30, 2021. Examination revealed that Mr. Sharma’s cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and thorax and the manner of death was accident.  Pamela Sharma was transported to Suburban Hospital with life-threatening injuries. She succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased on March 28, 2021.  Examination revealed that Mrs. Sharma’s cause of death was multiple injuries and the manner of death was accident.

A witness on scene, provided a statement

“I was riding in my friend’s Jeep Wrangler on Darnestown Road heading away from Poolesville. We had passed through the light at the entrance to the Safeway and were approaching the light at Quince Orchard Road. I noticed the black BMW. The BMW passed us in the right lane and then swerved in front of us, cutting us off. The BMW then passed a car in the right lane and then swerved back in front of that car. The BMW then had to slam on its breaks as the light had changed from yellow to red at the intersection with Quince Orchard Road. The BMW stopped at the red light in the right lane. When the light turned green, the BMW gave it some gas and got going. It ended up getting about 300 to 500 feet ahead of us. I did not see the collision but heard a bang. . .

 Officer Baxter arrived on scene and made contact with Vo, who identified herself as the driver of the BMW. Vo was on her cell phone, so Baxter asked her who she was talking to and she said the owner of the vehicle she was driving. While listening to her talk on the phone and while talking to her, Baxter detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her breath as well as slurred speech and blood shot eyes. On scene, a firefighter spoke with Baxter and said that he evaluated Vo and she didn’t want medical attention. He then said Baxter needed to talk to her and he said he’s “pretty sure she trashed.” Baxter walked back to Vo and asked her what happened and she said, “I honestly do not know.” Baxter asked her which way she was traveling and she said “I was traveling per my GPS.”

Asked how much she had to drink, Vo she said, “I honestly don’t know.” She then said 2 glasses of wine. Baxter asked VO what size her glasses of wine were and she said, “Half a glass.” Baxter asked VO where she drank at and she named a nearby establishment. Vo stated that she started drinking around 2 PM and stopped around 5 PM.

During Baxter’s interaction and conversation with VO, he detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from her and observed VO swaying in circular motions.

Officer Baxter, a member of the MCPD Alcohol Initiatives Unit, then administered the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests.  Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus: 6/6 clues. During the HGN test; VO was swaying back and forth

Walk and Tum: Could not keep balance during instructions; separated feet 2x; During steps, stopped walking 3x, missed heel-to-toe 3x, stepped off line 5x, made an Improper turn, and took 13 steps instead of 9 on the second half.

On One Leg Stand: VO raised her right foot, swayed while balancing, used arms for balance

Baxter placed Vo under arrest and transported her to 1D. VO was read the DR-15. After, VO said she wanted to submit to a blood test. Officers explained that a blood test couldn’t be given. VO then stated she didn’t feel confrontable making a decision without speaking to counsel. Cpl Tortolero provided VO with his county cellphone. VO used Google for almost an hour without finding a lawyer she believed could help her. VO then asked Cpl. Tortolero about the Public Defender services. Cpl. Tortolero called the Public Defender’s Office and no one answered. Vo finally agreed to take a breath test at 10:57 pm, nearly 2 ½ hours after the crash. Corporal Tortolero administered the breath test and obtained a result of .13 BrAC.

Det. Polcsa of the MCPD CRU was assigned as the lead detective and responded to the scene.

Polcsa examined the BMW at the scene, as well as at the Montgomery County Department of Police Vehicle Recovery Facility. Damage was observed across the entire front of the BMW. The bumper and hood were compressed towards the passenger compartment and the front windshield was shattered.

Polcsa examined the Toyota at the scene, as well as at the Montgomery County Department of Police Vehicle Recovery Facility. The side of the vehicle had been crushed into the passenger compartment. The front windshield was shattered, and the front bumper had been broken loose on the passenger’s side. Both driver’s and passenger’s side frontal and side curtain airbags had deployed. Both the driver’s and passenger’s seatbelts were in the locked extended position, indicating they were in use at the time of the collision.

Vo provided a written statement to a CRU detective. “I was coming from northernly routes. I was coming from Darnestown, MD. I was heading southbound. I was going through, and the other car would have had to yield, and it did not. The other car was coming from the right of my vehicle. I honestly didn’t see the other car before it happened. I felt a bit blindsided. As far as I know it wasn’t at a proper place you can turn. It wasn’t at an actual junction. That’s as much as I remember. I don’t remember the actual collision. Then I remember speaking to representatives of the police force. I have no memory of what happened between the car pulling out and speaking to the police. I am not on any medications. I wear contact lenses for distance, and I have then in now. I had a positive intoximeter test and that’s all I’ll say.”

Polcsa conducted a momentum analysis of the collision between the BMW and the Toyota. The calculated impact speed for the Toyota was approximately 10 miles per hour, and the impact speed for the BMW was approximately 66 miles per hour. Polcsa believes that the calculated speeds are underestimate of the true speeds in the collision.

Polcsa then obtained and reviewed the data from the event data recorders from both the Toyota and the BMW. This data shows the Toyota was traveling approximately 11.8 miles per hour at the time of the collision, consistent with a left turning vehicle. The steering input is also consistent with the Toyota making a left turn.

The data from Vo’s BMW shows that at approximately 5 seconds before the collision, the accelerator pedal was depressed at 100% as the vehicle traveled at 65 miles per hour.  Over the next 4 ½ seconds, the vehicle continued to accelerate up to 75 miles per hour at ½ second before the collision.

Darnestown Road at the intersection with Blackberry Drive, in the area of the collision is bordered by residential neighborhoods, and the speed limit is 30 miles per hour.

Polcsa examined the scene and notably did not observe any pre-impact braking marks from the BMW

Polcsa conducted a time-distance analysis and determined that had Vo been traveling the speed limit, no action was required by her to avoid this collision.  Otherwise put, had Vo been traveling the speed limit instead of 2.5x the limit, the Sharma’s Toyota would have made its turn, been clear of the intersection, and Vo would have continued eastbound on Darnestown Road without any collision occurring.

All events occurred in Montgomery County MD.

A 59-year-old woman, Alka Himanshu Tanna, died after her husband, Himanshu Maganlal Tanna, intentionally struck her with his vehicle in a Silver Spring bank parking lot last Friday, January 14.

At yesterday’s bond hearing, based on a recommendation from pre-trial services, Judge Sherri Koch ordered a court diagnostic (mental evaluation) and postponed bail review until January 25th.

Per the Statement of Probable Cause from the Office of the State’s Attorney:

On January 14, 2022, patrol units responded to the Capital One Bank at 13301 New Hampshire
Avenue, silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland. Upon arrival, units located a female victim in the parking lot. The female victim was pronounced deceased on scene and identified as Alka
Himanshu Tanna.

The suspect, identified as Himanshu Maganlal Tanna (A/M, DOB 2/16/1962) , was
located on scene in his white Lexus SUV. The Lexus had collided with a light pole in the
parking lot of the above address.

Upon officer’s arrival, the suspect was placed in custody and transport to Police Headquarters for an interview. Witnesses on scene stated that the victim had exited the Capital one Bank and had begun to walk in the parking lot. The suspect then drove his vehicle at a high rate of speed and struck the
victim. The victim fell to the ground and the suspect struck the victim with his vehicle a second time.

The suspect then continued to drive and struck a pillar on the bank building before striking the light pole.

On January 14, 2022, the I/0 along with Detective Kwarciany met with Himanshu Tanna at Police Headquarters. Tanna was advised of his rights via an MCP 50 and indicated that he đid understand his rights. Tanna then stated that he had been married to the victim, Alka Tanna, for approximately fourty years.

On January 14, Himanshu and Alka Tanna travelled to the bank together to make a deposit. Tanna stated that when Alka exited the bank, he did drive his vehicle forward and struck Alka two times with his vehicle. Tanna also stated that the victim
was on the ground after the first strike and he did run her over with his vehicle.

Tanna stated that over the past three years, the co-owned beer and wine store that he owned with his wife had begun to have financial issues. The lease had recently come up for renewal and Tanna was resistant to renewing the lease.

The victim was heavily in favor of renewing the lease. Tanna additionally stated that he and the victim kept $200, 000 in cash in their house. Recently there
had begun to be money missing from that $200,000.

Tanna stated that the victim spent that money,
however she refused to give him explanations on what she spent it on. 

All of the above events occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Featured photo by WUSA9

After a nine-day trial and nine hours of deliberations, in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Judge David Lease, a jury has found defendant Gregory Jones, 28, of Martinsburg, WV, guilty of first-degree murder for the deaths of Ashley Dickinson and Joshua Frazier in Burtonsville, MD. He faces two potential life sentences plus an additional 40 years. Sentencing is scheduled for March 25, 2022. 

Assistant State’s Attorneys Marybeth Ayers and James Dietrich prosecuted this case.

The conviction came down late Friday afternoon in this execution-style double murder.  

Breakdown of the guilty counts:

-1st degree murder of Frazier

-1st degree murder of Dickinson

-Conspiracy murder 

-Firearm use in the commission of a felony on Frazier 

-Firearm use in the commission of a felony on Dickinson

On February 15, 2018, the bodies of Joshua Frazier and Ashley Dickinson, both Virginia residents, were discovered in Ms. Dickinson’s running 2013 Audi SUV at a home on Aldora Circle in the Briggs Chaney
area of Burtonsville, Montgomery County, Maryland. Both had been shot once in the back of the head from the back seat of the vehicle. Police located two 9mm shell casings in the car, as well as a projectile on a sidewalk near the vehicle.

Witness interviews and phone records revealed that Mr. Frazier had arranged to meet Gregory Jones, the Defendant, in the area around the time the murders occurred. Specifically, a series of text messages, beginning at approximately 1:10 PM, between Mr. Frazier and the Defendant indicate that the Defendant owed money to Mr. Frazier and wanted to pay him back. Mr. Frazier indicates that he wanted to send someone to the Defendant to pick up the money but the Defendant insisted on delivering it himself several times throughout the text conversation. At 1:17 PM, the Defendant texts Mr. Frazier an address to meet on Robey Terrace in Burtonsville, approximately ½ mile from Aldora Circle where the Audi was found.

Phone records show Mr. Frazier’s phone connecting to cell phone towers in southern Virginia and moving north into Maryland. Phone records show the Defendant’s phone connecting to cell phone towers in Martinsburg,
WV, and moving toward Gaithersburg. Phone records also show Tyshon Jones’s phone connecting to towers in Charlestown, WV, and moving toward Gaithersburg, connecting to the same towers as the Defendant’s phone.
Tyshon Jones is Gregory Jones’s cousin.

At 4:25 PM on February 15, 2018, Officer Pagonis of the Montgomery County Police Department was clearing a call on Robey Terrace when he saw a white Audi driven by a white female with a black male passenger. The race, gender, location and description of the car matched that of Mr. Frazier and Ms. Dickinson as they were found in the Audi later. At 4:30 PM, a witness saw the Audi pull into Aldora Circle.

At 4:56 PM, the Defendant’s phone connected to a cell tower near Aldora Circle. At 5:02 PM, Tyshon Jones’s phone connected to that same tower. Those phones also connected to the same tower __at 5:12 PM__
and 5:15 PM, respectively.

Phone records show that calls to Mr. Frazier’s phone go unanswered beginning at 5:15 PM.

A search of Tyshon Jones’s phone, seized on February 17, 2018, revealed internet searches for “Burtonsville” the day after the murders.

On March 5, 2018, Montgomery County police executed a search warrant at an apartment on Streamside Dr., in Gaithersburg. The defendant was located inside the residence. Also located inside the residence was a phone that forensic analysis showed was in use on February 15, 2018, belonged to the Defendant and contained the text messages between the Defendant and Mr. Frazier referenced earlier.

A search of the Defendant’s phone also revealed searches for Briggs Chaney, Fox News and Fox News Silver Spring on the day after the murders. Later that day, the Defendant canceled the number associated with this phone. Also, all references to Mr. Frazier’s phone, to include text messages and contact information were found to be deleted in the Defendant’s phone.

On March 6, 2018, law enforcement officers conducted a search warrant at a residence on Sanford Drive in West Virginia, the residence of Tyshon Jones, his sisters and his mother. Police also found a piece of paper with Joshua Frazier’s name written on it. Investigators found in a bedroom the Defendant’s social security card, birth certificate and an unspent 9mm cartridge.

Investigators sent the spent 9mm shell casings found in the Audi and the unspent 9mm cartridge found at the Sanford Drive address to Alliance Forensics Laboratory in Fort Worth, Texas, for comparison. A forensic firearm and toolmark examiner conducted a comparison of marks on the unspent cartridge. He opined that the marks
on the unspent cartridge were left when it was moved to the chamber of a semi-automatic gun and then ejected from that chamber without being fired. He found that those same ejector marks were found on the shell casings, which were automatically ejected from the chamber after having been fired. In a comparison of those marks, Mr. Ernest found that they were left by the same gun as the markings left are unique to each gun.

“Our hearts go out to the families of Joshua Frazier and Ashley Dickinson. This should send a clear message that such senseless violence has no place in our community. I thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Marybeth Ayers and Jim Dietrich for their outstanding work in this matter.  We look forward to sentencing as this defendant is facing two life sentences plus additional time. These families deserve justice, and we need to ensure the safety of the community,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

Ashley Dickinson and Joshua Frazier pictured below:

Gregory Jones:

On January 29, 2019, at approximately 10:00 a.m.,Victim A.J.B., an adult female, came to the Family Justice Center located at 600 Jefferson Plaza, Rockville, Montgomery County, Maryland to report a rape that occurred earlier. Upon arrival, Victim A.J.B. was interviewed by Special VictimsInvestigations Division detectives and disclosed the following: 

On January 26, 2019, at approximately 9:00p.m.,Victim A.J.B. went to Clyde’s of Chevy Chase located at5441 Wisconsin Avenue, Chevy Chase Village, Montgomery County, Maryland 20815, to have dinner and listen to amusical band scheduled to play at that location. During thecourse of the evening, Victim A.J.B. consumed alcohol withher meal. Upon conclusion of the concert, at approximately11:30 p.m., Victim A.J.B. closed her bar tab and wassocializing with the musicians who performed in the concert.  Victim A.J.B. was approached by an unknown male, lateridentified as Philip Mauricio Kantor (DOB 11-03-1972).Kantor offered to purchase the musicians and Victim A.J.B.an alcoholic beverage. Victim A.J.B. described Kantor was wearing an orange jacket, blue baseball cap, and had eyesthat appeared black in color. Victim A.J.B. described her lastmemory of the evening to be the consumption of a dark, yellow-colored liquor in a shot glass provided to her byKantor. Victim A.J.B. has no recollection of the subsequentevents that occurred at Clyde’s of Chevy Chase nor does she recall leaving the restaurant.  

Victim A.J.B. was wakened from sleep at an unknown time and saw Kantor on top of her performing vaginal intercourse without her consent.

Victim A.J.B. was completely naked and described feeling paralyzed and unable to move her body. Victim A.J.B. did not observe a condom on Kantor’s penis and felt very disoriented and unsure of where she was. Victim A.J.B. recalls that Kantor performed vaginal intercourse without her consent two times, both times while she was unable to move, and he was positioned on top ofVictim A.J.B. Victim A.J.B. described waking up again to flashes of light which she believes was Kantor photographing her naked body with a cell phone. Victim A.J.B. fell asleep again and woke at an unknown time. Victim A.J.B. was feeling very groggy and disoriented and attempted to gather her clothing but was unable to do so dueto unknown injury to her legs. Kantor assisted her in collecting her jacket, scarf, dress,stockings and boots,however, Kantor did not provide her with her black cottonunderwear, her silver iPhone 8 or her black bracelet. 

Kantor identified himself to Victim A.J.B. as “Phil”during conversation. While attempting to locate herbelongings, she observed a white envelope with the name”Phil” on the floor of the bedroom. Although the victim was notaware of her location, she described leaving the two-bedroom apartment with Kantor and observing a concierge in the lobbywhile exiting the building. Kantor and Victim A.J.B. exited thebuilding and she observed a Chipotle restaurant to her left,which Kantor entered to retrieve a pen. Kantor wrote “Phil’s”well as telephone number”305-439-4171” on a Chipotle business card and requested Victim A.J.B. call him to determine if he located her cell phone. 

On January 27, 2019, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Kantor and Victim A.J.B. walked from the Chipotle to theWhole Foods Market located at 4420 Willard Avenue, ChevyChase, Montgomery County, Maryland where Victim A.J.B.took a cab to her residence. Victim A.J.B. later responded to Shady Grove Adventist Hospital where she consented to a Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE).  During theSAFE, Victim A.J.B. was found to have multiple contusions about her legs, buttocks, and back. Victim A.J.B. also hadsevere soft tissue trauma to both of her knees which were so swollen that Victim A.J.B. had difficulty standing and walking. Victim A.J.B. requested to keep her identity anonymous and not have police involvement at this time. 

Upon returning home from Shady Grove AdventistHospital, Victim A.J.B. went online to try and determine”Phil’s” full name and address.  Victim A.J.B. located anindividual on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry website named Philip Maurice Kantor (DOB: 11/13/ 1972). Victim A.J.B. positively identified the picture on the registry website as that of the person who raped her.  Kantor was on the registry for two Third Degree Sex Offense convictions involving the sexual abuse of children. 

When Victim A.J.B. identified Philip Maurice Kantor, she contacted Shady Grove Hospital and requested a police investigation. Detective Sergeant Bahm contacted the Montgomery County Police Sex Offender Registry Unit and was provided with Philip Kantor’s information. Philip Maurice Kantor had registered as a sex offender and provided an address of 4515 Willard Avenue, Unit 1214, Chevy Chase, Montgomery County, Maryland 20815, when he registered.  

The apartment building at this address is located within walking distance to Clyde’s of Chevy Chase, and there is a Chipotle restaurant and a Whole Foods Market one block from the entrance to the apartment building. Detective Savage responded to the apartment complex and reviewed surveillance video for the date and time provided by Victim A.J.B. Philip Kantor is seen leaving the building on January 26, 2019, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Kantor is seen wearing an orange hooded jacket with light colored accents, a brown scarf, brown pants, and a blue and yellow baseball cap. Kantor is then seen arriving back at the apartment building on January 27, 2019, at 2:15 a.m., Kantor and Victim A.J.B. walk out of camera range and return to the building at 2:42 a.m.  Victim A.J.B. appears very unsteady and looks to be pushing Kantor away. Kantor is seen trying to grab hold of Victim A.J.B. and appears to be trying to get her inside the apartment building. Kantor and Victim A.J.B. are out of camera range once they enter the building.  An hour later, Kantor and Victim A.J.B. are seen on camera entering the elevator on the first floor and exiting on the twelve-floor where Kantor lives.  Victim A.J.B. appears to be crying and Kantor pulls her by the hand on and off the elevator.  Kantor and Victim A.J.B. were captured on four separate surveillance cameras at the apartment building that Kantor uses as his residence. In each video, Victim A.J.B. appears highly intoxicated, and in one video, Kantor is seen with Victim A.J.B.’s arm around his neck and he appears to be holding her up while walking. Using a law enforcement database, detectives obtained Philip Maurice Kantor’s (DOB: 11/13/1972) Maryland Vehicle Administration (MVA) photo. The photo of Philip Maurice Kantor matches the person seen with Victim A.J.B. in the surveillance video and is the same Philip Kantor that Victim A.J.B. located on the Maryland Sex Offender Registry website. Additionally, in the MVA photo, Kantor is wearing the same orange jacket that he is seen wearing in the surveillance video, and the one described by Victim A.J.B. 

Days later, police conducted a search warrant on Kantor’s apartment.  Police found Victim A.J.B.’s black cottonunderwear, her silver iPhone 8 or her black bracelet inside.  On the Victim A.J.B.’s cellphone, police found a photo of the defendant seated on his bed forcing Victim A.J.B. to perform fellatio on him with his hand on the back of her head.  Victim A.J.B. does not appear to be conscious in the photo.   

Police obtained a search warrant to take a buccal swab from Kantor to obtain his DNA.  The Montgomery County Crime Lab compared Kantor’s DNA profile to Victim A.J.B.’s profile taken from the hospital rape kit.  Kantor’s sperm was found to be on the outside of Victim A.J.B.’s vagina. 

Because of Kantor’s arrest for the rape of Victim A.J.B. and the ensuing media coverage, Victims M.G., A.B., and B.D. came forward.   

On May 20, 2007, Victim M.G., an adult female, disclosed to police she was raped by Philip Kantor (11-3-72). The rape occurred at Kantor’s home at 10702 Kenilworth Avenue, Garrett Park, Montgomery County, Maryland 20896. On May 19, 2007, Victim M.G. went out with friends to a bar in Washington DC. She consumed alcoholic beverages throughout the course of the night and became intoxicated. While out, she was approached by Kantor, who introduced himself as Felipe to Victim M.G.  Kantor provided his phone number to Victim M.G. and this was later used to ascertain his identity. Kantor bought three rounds and shots for himself, Victim M.G., and her friend.  Victim M.G. recalls speaking to Kantor but blacked out after that. She does not remember anything that occurred until she woke up vomiting in Kantor’s bathroom the following morning. Victim M.G. was extremely ill and had vaginal pain. She asked Kantor if they had sexual intercourse and he responded that they “fooled around” and, if they had sex, he used a condom. Victim M.G. stated she was unable to stop vomiting until she received medical attention on the evening of May 20, 2007. Victim M.G. had a sexual assault forensic examination completed at Shady Grove Hospital. Results were inconclusive. In April of 2019, at the request of the State Attorney’s Office, detectives reinterviewed M.G.  She gave a consistent account of the offense with the original report she made to police.  

On May 7, 2019, Victim A.B., an adult female, disclosed to police she was raped by Philip Kantor years prior. The rape occurred at Kantor’s home at 4515 Willard Avenue, Apt 1214, Chevy Chase, Montgomery County, Maryland. On June 4, 2010, Victim A.B. was out with her friend, Witness B.F., and Kantor. Witness B.F. is an adult female. Kantor was known to Victim A.B. because he was dating Witness B.F. at the time.  Victim A.B. had one drink while at the bar with Witness B.F. and Kantor.  She does not recall leaving the bar or returning to Kantor’s apartment with Kantor and Witness.  Witness B.F. woke up and saw Kantor engaging Victim A.B. in vaginal intercourse next to her on the bed. Witness B.F. described Victim A.B. as “unconscious” as Kantor raped her.   Witness B.F. pushed Kantor off Victim A.B. and had to physically strike Victim A.B.to get her to wake up. Victim A.B. described feeling paralyzed and she was unable to move her body.  Victim A.B. was unable to walk on her own and Witness B.F. had to assist her out of the apartment.   

 All events occurred in Montgomery County, Maryland. 

“This defendant preyed on innocent women and is a threat to the safety of our community. Following his lengthy prison sentence, Philip Kantor will be on the sex offender registry for the remainder of his life. We thank the victims who courageously came forward and Assistant State’s Attorneys Frank Lazzaro and Dermot Garrett for their work in securing this guilty plea,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy

Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the honorable Judge Harry Storm, defendant Kevin McGuigan, 24, of Rockville, MD, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder for the death of his mother, Jaclyn McGuigan.

He faces a maximum of life in prison and will be sentenced at a hearing scheduled for January 3^rd at 8:30 a.m.

McGuigan was found competent to stand trial by Judge Storm this fall. The murder occurred in December of 2018 outside of St. Raphael Catholic Church located at 1513 Dunster Road in Potomac.

The original police report from December 2018 can be seen below:

Detectives from the Montgomery County Police Department – Major Crimes Division have arrested Kevin Justin McGuigan, age 21, of the 10300 block of Grosvenor Place in Rockville, with the first-degree murder of his mother, 49-year-old Jaclyn McGuigan, of Marwood Court in Rockville.

On Friday, December 28, at approximately 6:00 p.m., 1^st District officers and Rockville City Police Officers responded to the report of an assault that had just occurred in front of the Saint Raphael Catholic Church and School located at 1513 Dunster Road.  Responding officers located the victim outside of an entrance to the church with wounds that appeared to be from a cutting type of instrument.  Witnesses, officers, and Fire & Rescue personnel attempted life-saving measures.  The victim succumbed to her injuries at the scene.

Detectives spoke with witnesses at the scene who heard loud screaming and observed the victim laying on the ground in front of the church and the suspect standing over her.  The suspect fled in a Honda sedan.

At approximately 6:49 p.m., officers located the Honda sedan abandoned at Falls Road Local Park.  The vehicle was registered to Jaclyn McGuigan. Officers observed property in the vehicle that was determined to belong to Kevin McGuigan.

During the investigation, it was determined that Jaclyn McGuigan was last seen leaving her Marwood Court residence in her Honda sedan with her son Kevin McGuigan at approximately 5:30 p.m. on December 28.

On Saturday, December 29 at approximately 7:00 a.m., Kevin McGuigan was arrested by Montgomery County police officers at a gas station in Rockville on the strength of a Montgomery County arrest warrant charging him with first-degree murder.  He was transported to the Central Processing Unit.

Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the honorable Judge Jill Cummins sentenced defendant Jonathan David Robbins to 40 years in prison suspend all but 12 and 5 years supervised probation upon release.

A hearing to discuss restitution was scheduled for Feb. 18^th, 2022.

Robbins was convicted by a jury in June of 2021 on six counts relating to his theft of $1.8 million from a client, Helen Nutt. Nutt died before the trial, at age 91.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Bryan Roslund and Hannah Gleason prosecuted the case.

Here is some information about the trial and facts of the case from the Sentencing Memo filed ahead of today’s proceeding, courtesy of the office of State’s Attorney John McCarthy.

STATE’S MEMORANDUM IN AID OF SENTENCING:

The State of Maryland offers the following Memorandum to assist the Court in reaching an appropriate sentence in this case. The Defendant’s crimes involved exploiting multiple levels of his fiduciary obligation to steal from an elderly, vulnerable client. His thefts continued over a period of many years and caused a loss of over $1.8 million from the victim. Given all those factors, as well as the Defendant’s lack of any remorse, the State suggests a sentence between 18 to 20 years of executed incarceration followed by a period of probation. Set out below are the factors supporting the State’s request.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY:

On August 29, 2019, the Grand Jury indicted the Defendant on six criminal counts relating to his theft of $1.8 million from a client, Helen Nutt. The Defendant turned himself in on the arrest warrant on September 3, 2019. That same day a bond review was held before the Honorable Ronald Rubin. Judge Rubin was fully aware of the facts set out by the Court of Appeals in their opinion ordering the disbarment of the Defendant and set bond in the amount of $250,000 full cash. Through a bonding company, the Defendant posted $250,000 and was 2 released on September 4, 2019. After several delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other reasons, trial began before a jury on June 1, 2021. After eight days of testimony, the Jury deliberated just over three hours before returning verdicts of guilty on all counts. Defendant’s bond was revoked on June 11, 2021. The charges of the Indictment included some counts listing Helen Nutt, individually, as the victim and some counts listing the Helen Nutt Trust, which continued to exist after her death, as the victim. Helen Nutt died June 26, 2017. Although at first blush it may seem some charges are duplicative, the distinction in date range and named victim is an important factor for this Court’s consideration. Counts one and five alleged theft schemes having a value over $100,000; different victim and time range in each count. Each of these felonies carries a maximum penalty of 20 years incarceration, a fine of $25,000, and restoration of the property taken. Counts three and four alleged exploitation of a vulnerable adult in a scheme having a value of over $100,000; based on two separate characteristics of the victim. Each of these felonies carries a maximum penalty of 20 years incarceration, a fine of $25,000, and restoration of the property taken. Counts two and six alleged misappropriation by a fiduciary; listing a different victim and time frame in each count. Each of those misdemeanor offenses carries a minimum penalty of one year incarceration and a maximum of five years incarceration. In total, the Defendant faces 90 years of incarceration and fines up to $100,000.

FACTS FROM THE TRIAL:

In 2013, Helen Nutt sought the Defendant’s assistance with her rather simple financial goals. She wanted to conserve her assets so there would be enough money for her remaining years, and she wanted to provide a framework so that her daughter, Nancy Nutt, would have money for as long as possible after her death. To that end, Helen Nutt sought the advice of the Defendant and relied upon his credentials as an attorney and certified public accountant to honor her goals. However, Helen Nutt’s request for help with a discrete plan was converted by the Defendant when the Defendant exerted total control over Mrs. Nutt’s finances. Instead of conserving her assets to support her daughter, for nearly six years the Defendant allocated Helen Nutt’s assets to himself. In so doing, the Defendant destroyed a mother’s goal of making sure her daughter was provided for even after her own death. During the trial, this Court heard testimony concerning the declining abilities of Helen Nutt. Shortly after meeting the Defendant in 2013, Helen Nutt fell in her home. She was never again able to live without assistance. This fall and loss of her independence came just a few weeks after the sudden death of her son, Randy. Since the death of her husband a few years prior, Helen Nutt had been relying on Randy for guidance and assistance. The Court will 4 recall the testimony from many witnesses about the declining mental abilities of Helen Nutt. Even at the time of her admission to Kensington Park in 2013, there were signs of a limited ability to understand complex financial matters. As multiple witnesses explained, Helen Nutt’s abilities declined significantly during the period the Defendant controlled her finances. Ruth Ann Taylor testified to the repeated efforts to get information from the Defendant about his costs and what was happening to Helen Nutt’s money. Each time, her requests were met with evasions and promises that were not kept. Representatives from several financial institutions talked about the misleading and incomplete information the Defendant provided when asked why he needed Helen Nutt’s money. The evidence clearly established a pattern of deception by the Defendant to keep Helen Nutt and anyone else who might ask, from knowing the truth about what he was doing with her money. The trial evidence also gave some light on what the Defendant did with Helen Nutt’s money. The Defendant had been making a modest living as a CPA and solo attorney for over twenty years. In addition to his law degree, the Defendant has a master’s degree in tax law. He also had worked in both accounting firms and law firms before opening his own business. But his intelligence and experience had not brought booming success. Apparently, he yearned for more as one of the things he did with the money stolen from Helen Nutt was to try to create the appearance of a successful, thriving business. He made dramatic changes in his housing, going from a simple townhouse to a 6600 square foot house on two acres of land. He filled the house with office furniture and computer equipment, much of it apparently never used. He covered the walls with dramatic reproduction paintings mimicking those of famous artists. He filled his closets with clothes that fit the image he wanted to convey – that of a 5 prosperous businessperson. All these acts of plain and simple greed are common in white[1]collar crimes. But what makes this case unique is that the evidence showed the Defendant used the bulk of what he stole to defend himself before the Attorney Grievance Commission (AGC) and for litigation related to a request for documents from the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office. One of the allegations by the AGC was that the Defendant had violated the Rules of Professional Conduct in his representation of Helen Nutt, including by not doing work and overcharging for work that was done. Astoundingly, the Defendant continued to steal money from Helen Nutt to defend himself against an allegation of basically stealing from Helen Nutt. Likewise, the subpoena for information by the Consumer Protection Division concerned an investigation into whether the Defendant had misappropriated money from Helen Nutt. And again, the Defendant used Helen Nutt’s money to try to avoid providing the requested information as to whether he was stealing Helen Nutt’s money. Expert testimony at trial made clear there was no possible way the Defendant’s conduct to fund his defense to the AGC Petition with a client’s money could ever be acceptable by a lawyer. One expert said, the Defendant’s conduct with Helen Nutt’s money was simply “outrageous.” By far the most compelling testimony as to whether there was any merit to the actions of the Defendant with Helen Nutt’s money came from an expert in estates and trust, pointed out instance after instance where the Defendant’s conduct in the documents he created and the financial decisions he made, fell below any accepted industry standard. She illustrated how the Defendant had needlessly made the estate of Helen Nutt more complex and how that complexity made it harder for anyone, let alone a victim with diminished capacity like Helen Nutt, to keep track of his actions and easier for him to steal. The Defendant’s narrative that he was simply doing what his client wanted and that the criminal prosecution was an act of retaliation by the government because the Defendant dared to stand up for his client was not persuasive to the jury. The evidence is overwhelming that the Defendant was not acting as his client wished but rather that the Defendant took affirmative steps to keep his client uninformed so that he could steal. The jury’s verdicts of guilty is clearly consistent with the evidence of this case.

Featured photo is of Jonathan David Robbins’ rental home.

Helen Nutt (below)

Jonathan David Robbins (below)

A woman and her boyfriend brutally killed her husband of 50 years in Takoma Park, MD in 2014.  They were both convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 30 years in prison in 2017, but the boyfriend’s conviction was reversed on appeal.

The State retried his case and on Thursday night– in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the honorable Judge David Boynton, a jury found Hussain Ali Zadeh guilty of second-degree murder for the death of Cecil Brown.

He faces a maximum of 30 years in prison. Sentencing is set for February 1^st 2022.

Larlane Pannell Brown remains incarcerated, serving her 30 year sentence.

Assistant State’s Attorneys Marybeth Ayres and Cortenous Herbert Jr. prosecuted this case.

Summary of Facts:

Cecil Brown was murdered by his wife, Larlane Pannell Brown, and her boyfriend, the defendant, who were engaged in a hidden adulterous relationship.

The murder occurred on August 4, 2014, while Mr. Brown, 74 years of age, was in the backyard gathering tools to fix his wife’s truck. Mr. Brown was beaten to death and died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries.

The Takoma Park Police Department conducted an investigation that culminated in the arrest of Hussain Ali Zadeh and his accomplice on May 29, 2015. The defendant was a 48 year-old man at the time he committed this murder. He began a sexual relationship with his married accomplice, Mrs. Brown, that began in October 2013, and continued up to the date of the murder and through May 2015 when the defendant and Mrs. Brown were arrested.

The benefits of the relationship between the defendant and Mrs. Brown were not only sexual, but they were also monetary. Throughout the course of this relationship, as demonstrated at trial, the defendant received numerous gifts from Mrs. Brown including paid trips to Jamaica, and a Jaguar station wagon. While in this sexual relationship with his accomplice, the defendant also maintained other relationships with different women, including a woman who lived in Jamaica and who the defendant ultimately married in May 2014 when she was pregnant with his child.

On the day of the murder, Mr. Brown went to work in Jessup, Maryland, leaving the family home at approximately 6:00 a.m. At trial, an expert in cellular forensic technology testified that the cell site location information obtained from the defendant’s phone records was consistent with the defendant’s phone being present at the home Larlane Pannell Brown and her husband Cecil Brown shared, starting at 6:59 a.m., which was shortly after Mr. Brown left for work, and continuing until 11:51 a.m. During this time, Mrs. Brown received a call from the victim. Witnesses from Mr. Brown’s work testified at trial that the job was canceled that morning due to weather conditions and that Cecil Brown told people he was going home. The evidence at trial showed that Mr. Brown was beaten to death by the defendant, assisted by his wife.

Although both were convicted of murder, there can be no question that the defendant inflicted the most violent blows that ended Mr. Brown’s life. According to his MVA records, the defendant was 6’01” and 158 pounds in 2015.

The State presented photographs during the trial that showed the defendant to be physically fit. Mr. Brown, at the time of his death, was significantly shorter than his murderer at 5’8”, and he weighed 189 pounds. The defendant’s accomplice, Larlane Pannell Brown was in poor physical shape at the time of the murder and would not have had the strength to inflict the most violent blows unassisted. Dr. Dean, the medical examiner, testified to the injuries that led to Mr. Brown’s death. The evidence of injury observed to Mr. Brown’s body indicated that he was beaten to death by an individual wielding a weapon. She described that Mr. Brown’s skull was fractured from the multiple blows to his head. She concluded that his injuries required at least 4 to 5 strikes to his head, on different sides of the head. The brain itself was bruised, indicating the considerable force inflicted on Mr. Brown. Dr. Dean testified that those blows would have caused Mr. Brown to have experienced derangement and an inability to react.

Mr. Brown had no chance to fight back. Dr. Dean analogized Mr. Brown’s injuries to the type of injuries seen in car crashes. Dr. Dean described injuries to Mr. Brown’s neck area – including a fractured hyoid bone and hemorrhaging of the neck tissues. The blood spatter patterns at the scene of the murder were clearly consistent with many of the blows being inflicted while he was on the ground. There were multiple rib fractures on the left side of his body. His shoulder joint was fractured.

Ultimately, the mechanism of Cecil Brown’s death was a combination of each of the blows – over one dozen in total – that led to blood loss, decreased oxygen and inability to breathe which finally led to his heart stopping. This murder was prolonged, painful, and brutal. The last moments of Mr. Brown’s life were spent in excruciating pain. This was a heinous and violent murder as demonstrated by the autopsy findings. The brutal nature of this murder was also demonstrated through the series of photographs introduced at trial that show Mr. Brown lying a puddle of his own blood and his blood spattered on the shed, fence, and automobiles surrounding his murder scene.

Within an hour of killing Mr. Brown, the defendant clocked into Enterprise in order to establish an alibi. There was testimony at trial that the defendant went to lengths to conceal his vehicle from police the day of the murder and afterwards.

On August 4, 2014, when interviewed by investigators, the defendant refused to show them both of his phones and engaged in a series of lies about his relationship with his accomplice in an effort to deflect suspicion from himself. In the days after the murder, the defendant kept in contact with his accomplice and girlfriend. Ultimately, in the months after the murder, they moved into an apartment together, paid for by Mrs. Brown.

Featured photo shows the back yard where the murder occurred.

In the photo below, Mr. Cecil Brown

Hussain Ali Zadeh and Larlane Pannell Brown

Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the honorable Judge Jeannie Cho, defendant Ruel Francis Dempster II, 34, of Silver Spring, entered a guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder for the death of Alice Dennis, the mother of his children.

Sentencing is scheduled for February 4^th, 2022 and the defendant is expected to receive an agreed upon 40-year prison sentence.

This charge stems from the discovery of Dennis’ body inside the couple’s Silver Spring home on April 18^th, 2018. Dempster was arrested in May of 2018 in the area of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico by the Federal Police (La Policia Federal) on the strength of a Montgomery County warrant.

“I thank Deputy State’s Attorney Ryan Wechsler and Assistant State’s Attorney Dermot Garrett for securing a guilty plea in this case, along with our international partners for making the arrest. This defendant fled the country after committing murder in our community, but will now be held accountable for his actions,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.