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ANNAPOLIS — House Minority Leader Anthony J. O'Donnell is calling for the resignation of Donald W. DeVore, the secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services, after a slaying last month at a Prince George's County reform school.

"We've had three years. We've seen a course of conduct. We've called for changes. They've been slow in coming, and we can't wait for the next murder in a facility to happen," O'Donnell said Thursday.

In response, Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) released a statement in defense of DeVore, saying he had "full confidence" in the secretary.

On the morning of Feb. 18, Hannah Wheeling of Bel Air was found outside a building at the Cheltenham Youth Facility in Upper Marlboro. The state medical examiner ruled she had been beaten to death. Wheeling, 65, was a teacher at Cheltenham.

Greg Shipley, spokesman for the Maryland State Police, said Thursday the investigation continues, and no charges have been filed.

O'Donnell (R-Dist. 29C) of Lusby said a letter calling for DeVore's resignation was hand-delivered to the governor Thursday, and the two had a brief, cordial telephone discussion on the matter.

"We cannot continue to have the loss of life and the chaos in the system that we've been experiencing over a long period of time," O'Donnell told reporters.

In his statement, O'Malley cited a statistic that juvenile homicides were down 46 percent over the past three years.

"Real progress is not achieved without the right leadership in place at vital public safety agencies, including the Department of Juvenile Services," O'Malley said. "I have full confidence in Secretary DeVore's leadership of DJS."

House Speaker Michael E. Busch said calling for DeVore's resignation was premature.

"I don't think it lends any benefit to the issue to start pointing direct blame to anyone in particular," said Busch (D-Dist. 30) of Annapolis.

Juvenile programs, in general, and Cheltenham, in particular, have been a thorny issue for Maryland governors for more than a decade. Facilities across the state have been plagued by violence and escapes.

DeVore, an O'Malley appointment, arrived in Maryland from Connecticut. Less than a week after he was sworn into office in 2007, he announced the state was closing a private reform school in Carroll County after a student there died while being restrained.

As a result of the death, DeVore, whose salary is $152,159, instituted new guidelines on how and when students could be restrained.

After O'Donnell revealed to the press that he wanted DeVore out, Baltimore Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld released a statement that DJS has helped to reduce juvenile homicides in the city by 45 percent.

"This success would not have been possible without the unprecedented level of collaboration and cooperation with the Department of Juvenile Services under Secretary DeVore's leadership," Bealefeld's statement says. "Secretary DeVore is a vital partner in our efforts to keep children in Baltimore safer."

O'Donnell called for DeVore's resignation last July in an op-ed that appeared in The Baltimore Sun. Then, the issue was the remote Victor Cullen Center in Sabillasville, where youths attacked staff and escaped.

On Thursday, he said DJS' problems were continuing.

"I'm not calling for a policy change here. I'm not calling for a bill or a piece of legislation or a new regulation. I'm calling for the leadership of the department to be changed," he said.

A DHS statement issued Thursday said DeVore "inherited a dysfunctional system of antiquated and unsafe facilities." The statement credited the secretary with "unprecedented levels of collaboration with law enforcement."

"Secretary DeVore launched a bold vision of reform to make the juvenile justice system work for the youth and citizens of Maryland. This dramatic progress has been no accident," the statement read.

Matthew Joseph, executive director of Advocates for Children and Youth, said his organization has been among the harshest critics of the department.

But, Joseph said, "I'm not sure why now would be the time to switch leadership."

He said DJS is planning to expand its use of "multisystemic therapy," in which delinquent youths are provided intensive support in their own homes. Its success rate is greater than 70 percent, Joseph said.

DJS also is willing to bring in experts from outside the state to discuss juvenile programs, he said.

"You get a sense that the agency is not being nearly as hostile to constructive feedback that it used to be," he said.