Man indicted on first-degree murder in state trooper's death
Seat Pleasant man could face life in prison if convicted of shooting at Forestville Applebee's
A Prince George's County grand jury indicted one of two men arrested in the June 11 shooting death of an off-duty Maryland State Police trooper.
Anthony Andre Milton II, 28, of Seat Pleasant is charged with first-degree murder of Trooper Wesley Brown, 24, of Seat Pleasant. Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D) announced the indictment today at a news conference outside the Prince George's County Circuit Courthouse in Upper Marlboro. If convicted, Scott could be sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years, according to the state's attorney's office.
Brown was working off-duty in a part-time security job at the Forestville Applebee's Neighborhood Grill on Donnell Drive when he escorted out a customer who was disorderly over his bill, police said. Police allege the customer returned about a half-hour after Brown escorted him outside and fired a gun at Brown, who eventually died from his injuries.
County police and prosecutors haven't confirmed Milton's alleged role in the killing. His co-defendant, Cyrus Williams, 27, of Seat Pleasant, is alleged to be the shooter.
Milton is also charged with conspiracy to commit murder, using a handgun while committing a violent crime, firearm possession and carrying and transporting a handgun, according to court documents.
Milton could be arraigned in the next four to five days, and a trial could begin within the next two months, said Ramon Korionoff, a spokesman for Ivey.
An attorney listed for Milton in online Maryland District Court records, David Benowitz, could not immediatble by reached.
Williams is still being held in Baltimore for a parole violation and is expected to be transferred soon to the Department of Corrections in Upper Marlboro, Ivey said. Korionoff could not say what specific crime Williams committed to lead to his parole violation.
An indictment for Williams is in the pipeline, but there is not a specific date for when it would happen, Ivey said.
According to county circuit court documents, Milton was charged in April 2004 with first- and second-degree assault and use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime after shooting his girlfriend in the leg. The shooting was ruled accidental by both parties and the charges were dropped. In August 2004, Milton was found guilty of illegally carrying a handgun and reckless endangerment, according to court documents.
Williams pleaded guilty in 2006 to possessing and intending to distribute 70 grams of crack cocaine and more than 400 grams of marijuana, according to Prince George's County Circuit Court records. He was sentenced to five years in prison and was paroled in 2008. He was on probation for drug charges at the time of Brown's death.
A source close to the investigation said Williams was charged with the attempted murder of a police officer on Jan. 1, 2006, when occupants inside his apartment complex celebrating the new year fired bullets into the air. One round hit a police car, but the charges were dropped when a witness did not appear in court.
Ivey said during the press conference the case is a reminder that officers are always "on duty," whether on the clock as a Maryland state trooper or off-duty as a security officer, in the case of Brown.
"This is one of those cases that remind us of the risk that they take every time they put on that uniform," Ivey said.
E-mail Natalie McGill at nmcgill@gazette.net.