(Jessup, MD) – Diligent work by troopers from the Maryland State Police Cold Case Unit and support from forensic experts, a federal grant, and Anne Arundel County prosecutors, led to the conviction and sentencing this week of an inmate found guilty of the murder of a fellow inmate nine years ago.
The accused is identified as Edgar C. Davis Jr., 38, who is an inmate in the Maryland Division of Correction. Davis pleaded guilty to manslaughter in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court on February 1, 2010. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, which he is to serve concurrently with his present 90-year sentence for two counts of murder, kidnapping and handgun use from Baltimore City.
The murder victim in this case is identified as Ray A. Hamlet, who was 23 when he was stabbed on January 11, 2001 while walking out of a dining area in the Maryland House of Correction, a former state prison in Jessup. Hamlet died from his wounds and his murder was investigated by the Maryland State Police.
In 2001, Hamlet and Davis were both inmates at the Maryland House of Correction. During the initial investigation, witnesses failed to identify Davis as the person responsible. The recovered murder weapon, a prison shank, was submitted for analysis and DNA linked both Davis and Hamlet to the murder weapon. Absent witness information to show how Davis’ DNA got on the weapon, there was no indictment and the case went cold. Davis was sent to the Northern Correctional Institute in Somers, Connecticut, under the Interstate Corrections Compact.
In October 2008, the case was selected for reinvestigation and assigned to Corporal John Branham of the Maryland State Police Cold Case Homicide Unit. Using funds provided by the National Institute of Justice under a grant titled “Solving Cold Cases with DNA,” Corporal Branham and Sgt Scott Collier traveled to Connecticut where Davis was interviewed. In addition to information obtained during the interview, Branham and Collier were able to locate witnesses within the Division of Correction who provided corroborative information about the murder and identified Davis as the person responsible for stabbing Hamlet.
Davis was indicted for the murder of Hamlet on December 5, 2008 and returned to Maryland to stand trial. Davis’ release date is 2071.
Governor Martin O’Malley closed the Maryland House of Correction during the first year of his Administration.
1 comment:
Can they use some of that grant money to find out the unsolved murder of Janie Smith? She was murdered at the old Shore Stop on Cherry Street in the late 90's. They had some people in custody and let them go for reasons I don't understand. But this unsolved case may actually be able to solved if DNA is used. It was a HORRIBLE crime against Janie Smith and there have been many rumors about who actually did this and who may have hired the people to murder her. It needs to be SOLVED!
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