Second teen indicted for Gaithersburg man's murder
A second Potomac teenager accused of robbing and killing a Gaithersburg man has been indicted on counts including murder and robbery with a dangerous and deadly weapon.
Emily Drew Geller, 18, of Larkmeade Terrace, was indicted on Thursday on charges related to the robbery and murder of Ali Reza Zare, 57, according to Emily White, a spokeswoman for the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office. Geller's boyfriend, Artie Ellis, 16, of Scotland Drive, was indicted on the same counts late last month.
Both are six-count indictments and include conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous and deadly weapon, felony theft and conspiracy to commit felony theft.
Both Ellis and Geller are being charged as adults and held at the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Clarksburg.
Vicky Tyler, an assistant public defender for Montgomery County who is representing Geller, declined to comment on Tuesday.
Zare's body was found of May 10 by a jogger on the Bells Mill Road walking path. The two teenagers lured Zare into a secluded area, struck him on the head with a shovel, robbed him and left him to die on a walking path, Gerald Collins, an assistant state's attorney, alleged at Geller's bail review hearing Oct. 15.
Rene Sandler, an attorney for Ellis, told The Gazette that she filed a motion about a week ago asking for the case to be sent to juvenile court, based on Ellis' age and lack of previous criminal history.
At Geller's hearing, Collins said that Geller was acquainted with Zare, though police have not said how they knew each other. On May 9, several phone calls were placed between Zare's cell phone and the land line at the Potomac home where Geller lived with her parents, Donald and Madelaine, a half-mile from where Zare's body was found the following day, according to court documents.
On Oct. 14, a search warrant was executed at Geller's home, where the shovel was uncovered, White said. Geller described the shovel to police in a statement before the search, White said.
Court documents allege the two stole Zare's Verizon BlackBerry Storm cell phone, a Macy's Visa credit card, a Maryland driver's license, cash and a blue Subaru Zare was driving. Around 1:30 p.m. May 10, police discovered the Subaru abandoned near Seven Locks Elementary School. Geller's fingerprints were found on the vehicle.
That same afternoon, the Macy's credit card was used several times by a man and a woman matching Geller's and Ellis' descriptions in attempts to withdraw money from the Bank of America cash machine in Westfield Montgomery mall, court documents state. The unsuccessful attempts were caught on mall surveillance video.
A search warrant executed at Ellis' home in May uncovered Zare's cell phone in a backpack in Ellis' room, according to court documents.
Geller is also facing charges for stealing a car and eluding police stemming from an August incident. A trial date for Geller in relation to the murder and robbery charges is expected to be set during a December scheduling hearing. Ellis' trial date is expected to be set at a hearing on Friday.
Family members of both Geller and Ellis have declined comment.