Maryland: Teen Brothers Charged in Deadly Assault Get Probation — No Punishment!
August 19, 2020 in News, Video by RBN Staff
Source: needtoknownews
Frederick, Maryland: John Marvin Weed, 59, died last year at the fair after two brothers, aged 15 and 16, beat him for refusing to give them $1. The boys repeatedly punched him in the head and knocked him out with a sucker punch before spitting on him while he laid on the ground dying. The 15-year-old, who reportedly delivered the fatal blow, was tried as a juvenile and pleaded guilty to manslaughter.Judge Julie Stevenson Solt made the decision to keep him in the juvenile system, even though the state requested that he be tried as an adult. The unidentified teen was placed in a juvenile facility until he completes a ‘behavioral modification program’ where he is being provided with ‘anger management,’ training in social skills, and education. His brother, who was 16 at the time of the killing, was initially charged with two counts of second-degree assault related to the attack, including the act of spitting on the victim as he laid dying on the ground. Judge Solt ultimately ordered the older teen be placed on probation and enrolled in an anger-management program. -GEG
The second of two teen brothers charged after a man died at the Great Frederick Fair last year was placed on probation Wednesday and ordered to complete an anger management program, among other commitments.
The older of the brothers, who was 16 years old at the time of the Sept. 20 assault, was initially charged with two counts of second-degree assault related to the attack that killed 59-year-old Mount Airy resident John Marvin Weed.
Of those charges, one count was for the teen reportedly spitting on Weed after he had fallen to the ground, which was the charge the teen pleaded guilty to July 8 during a hearing in Frederick County Circuit Court. The second assault charge was dropped per a plea agreement reached between prosecutors and Stacey Steinmetz, an attorney representing the teen.
A reporter for The Frederick News-Post was asked to leave the courtroom Wednesday after Steinmetz asked that hearing be closed to the public. Judge Julie Stevenson Solt agreed, saying that much about the case that would be discussed, especially regarding the teen’s past and other details, would be too sensitive to be shared in open court.
Law enforcement officials and prosecutors claim that the younger brother, who was 15 at the time of the assault, approached Weed on the midway of the fairgrounds at about 5:30 p.m. Sept. 20 and asked him for a dollar, according to stories posted previously by The Frederick News-Post. After a brief exchange of words, the 15-year-old punched Weed, igniting a scuffle that was soon joined by the 16-year-old.
Weed was punched repeatedly in the head during the assault with the 15-year-old landing the final blow that left the Mount Airy resident unresponsive on the ground, according to previous stories.
Solt ultimately ordered the older teen be placed on probation and that he complete an anger management program, among other conditions, according to a press release issued after Wednesday’s hearing by the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office. The juvenile court maintains jurisdiction over a case until the the case is closed or until the respondent ages out of juvenile court, meaning the maximum term of probation the teen could serve in this case would be until he reaches 21, according to Steinmetz.
