ARREST MADE IN CAROLINE CO. MURDER INVESTIGATION

(FEDERALSBURG, MD) – Maryland State Police homicide investigators have served an arrest warrant on a Chestertown man who is now charged with the murder of a man found dead in front of a Caroline County factory. The accused is identified as Davonta’ Deshields, 21, of Fererdalsburg, Md. He has been charged with first and second degree murder, first degree assault, reckless endangerment, and numerous handgun violations. Has he been to a court commissioner for a bond hearing? If so, where is he being held and on what bond? Deshields was taken before a district court commissioner and is being held without bond at the Caroline County Detention Center. The victim was identified as Anthony C. Abner, Jr., 21, of the 100-block of Brooklyn Avenue, Federalsburg, Md. Abner was found dead in the 200 block of East Central Avenue by Federalsburg Police Department officers, shortly before midnight on September 25, 2012, when they responded to 911 calls. An autopsy revealed Abner died from multiple gunshot wounds. Federalsburg Police Chief Donald Nagle requested the case be investigated by the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit. State Police homicide investigators assumed the investigation and have continued the investigation around the clock since. They have been assisted by State Police crime scene technicians and Easton Barrack criminal investigators, as well as by members of the Federalsburg Police Department, Caroline County Sheriff’s Office, and the Caroline County Drug Task Force. Investigators have been in regular contact with the Caroline County State’s Attorney with updates on the progress of the case. Investigators were able to develop information and a potential suspect through neighborhood checks and interviews. Based on information developed during the investigation, a search warrant was applied for and granted for the suspect’s grandmother’s residence Federalsburg, Md. Several items of potential evidentiary value were seized, but investigators will not specify what those items are due to the ongoing investigation. No clear motive for the murder has been established at this time. The Maryland State Police dive team will be conducting underwater searches of bodies of water in proximity to the crime scene for evidence of this ongoing investigation.