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A homicide at a Potomac senior living facility has been connected to a Feb. 24 shooting directed at a Maryland State Trooper in Baltimore, after detectives preliminarily matched ballistics evidence and video from both scenes to the same suspect.
Maurquise E. James, 23, faces a first-degree murder charge in the Feb. 14 death of Robert Fuller Jr., 87, at Cogir Potomac Senior Living. Court documents indicate Fuller died of a contact gunshot wound to the head. James had worked at the facility as a medicine technician for just over four months, according to Baltimore Witness, which reported on the case after an Aug. 11 court hearing.
Ten days after the Potomac killing, on Feb. 24, a trooper conducting a traffic stop near Milford Avenue and Belle Avenue in Baltimore was shot at around 3:23 a.m. The driver of a silver Infiniti allegedly opened the door and fired two rounds toward the trooper before fleeing. The trooper was treated at Shock Trauma for a stippling injury pattern to his face consistent with being shot at close range, Maryland State Police said. He survived.
How detectives connected the cases
Montgomery County Police detectives investigating Fuller's death recognized the suspect vehicle and driver from body-worn camera footage captured during the Baltimore traffic stop. A BOLO flyer created from that footage led MCPD investigators to identify the person depicted as a suspect in their homicide case.
A 9mm cartridge casing recovered at the Baltimore scene was submitted for ballistic testing. Investigators preliminarily connected it to the fatal shooting in Potomac, according to court documents.
Police tracked James from Baltimore County toward Montgomery County and converged on him in Rockville, where he allegedly fled on foot before being taken into custody. After his arrest, James denied driving the Infiniti and told detectives he had spent the night at his mother's home. Investigators confronted him with cellphone location data they said contradicted his account; James then invoked his right to counsel.
Search warrants executed at two residences connected to James allegedly turned up evidence linking him to the Potomac homicide. A witness also told police James was driving the suspect vehicle during the Baltimore shooting.
Case routed to Mental Health Court
James appeared Tuesday, Aug. 11 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Melissa K. Copeland for a preliminary hearing. Defense attorney Karyn Meriwether appeared on his behalf. The court routed the case to Mental Health Court to determine whether James can understand the charges against him and assist his lawyer.
The next hearing is set for Nov. 18 before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Gale Rasin.
In the Baltimore case, James faces charges including attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a felony and intentionally causing physical injury to a law enforcement officer.
Montgomery County Police have not released a public statement on the status of the murder charge in the Potomac case. Residents with information can contact MCPD at 301-279-8000.
