In-depth news and investigations
Annapolis man charged with double, attempted murder
A judge kept Elbert Gardner Jr. in jail after police say he killed two people in a jealous rage and tried to suffocate a 12-year-old boy.
A judge kept Elbert Gardner Jr. in jail after police say he killed two people in a jealous rage and tried to suffocate a 12-year-old boy.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
By Ryan Bagwell
Muckraker Staff Writer
Muckraker Staff Writer
A district court judge kept an Annapolis man in jail this morning who's accused of killing his former girlfriend, her lover and trying to suffocate a boy in Admiral Heights.
Elbert Gardner Jr., 57, shot a man and a woman in a house on Goodrich Road Tuesday night, then tried to smother a 12-year-old who witnessed the slaying with a pillow, police allege in court documents.
Officials believe Gardner Jr. became enraged after he heard 38-year-old Lei Tyree Johnson, his former girlfriend, having sex in one of the bedrooms above his basement apartment.
He shot Johnson once in the chest and her lover, 40-year-old Samuel Marshall Fowlkes Jr., in the head, about 11 p.m., investigators say.
Then he tried to strangle Johnson's middle school-age son, Anthony J. Johnson, who saw Gardner Jr. emerge from the bedroom after the killings, authorities allege.
Gardner Jr. voluntarily met with police yesterday morning at a 7-Eleven outside of Annapolis, police spokesman Ray Weaver said. Investigators questioned him until about 11 p.m., when police say he confessed to the crimes and was formally arrested.
Police say Elbert Gardner Jr., 57, killed his former girlfriend and her lover Tuesday night.
Weaver didn't know why Anthony Johnson stayed in the house until he ran to a neighbor's house at 5:30 the next morning. He may have been unconscious from the attempted strangling until that time.
The boy spent most of yesterday with detectives, Weaver said. He's now in the care of relatives.
Gardner Jr. had been under stress lately, an acquaintance said after the court hearing. He's been separated from his wife for about a year, and the bank is foreclosing on his house in the Truxtun Heights neighborhood.
“Contrary to what people believe, he's still a good guy,” said the female friend, who wouldn't give her name. “You can only take so much pressure.”
The 19-year Annapolis resident works at the U.S. Naval Academy. Academy officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Fowlkes Jr. worked at Anne Arundel Medical Center, according to Kathy Godfrey-Howard, who knew him for years. He lived in Obery Court, the Annapolis public housing community, until it was torn down in April.
Using his nickname “Bobo,” she described Fowlkes as a kind man who visited her mother in the hospital when she was dying several years ago.
“I am shocked this man is gone,” said Godfrey-Howard, who lives in the College Creek Terrace community across from Obery Court. “He didn't bother nobody.”
The Muckraker couldn't reach Gardner Jr. of Johnson's family for comment this morning.
Gardner Jr. was married to Mary G. Gardner until about a year ago, when he became separated from his wife, according to neighbors who new the couple from their former home on Chatham Lane. He cheated on his wife with Johnson, which led to the couple's separation.
Lei and Anthony Johnson moved in with Gardner Jr. in the Chatham Lane house after Mary moved out, neighbors said. The trio moved into 11 Goodrich Road about nine months ago.
But police say Gardner Jr. and Johnson recently broke off their relationship and continued to live in the same house. On Tuesday, he heard “sexual activity” coming from the basement in which he was living, pulled a revolver from underneath his pillow and shot the couple in their upstairs bedroom, according to court documents.
After he tried to kill Anthony, Gardner Jr. layed the boy on his bed and left.
Investigators said they found a revolver at the scene of the crime, which was registered to Gardner Jr.
Detectives searched Gardner Jr.'s Chatham Lane house for most of the day yesterday. At least five police cars were in the driveway for most of the day.
He and is wife owe more than $16,000 in mortgage payments on the house, and the bank recently started the foreclosure process, according to court records.
Elbert Gardner Jr., 57, shot a man and a woman in a house on Goodrich Road Tuesday night, then tried to smother a 12-year-old who witnessed the slaying with a pillow, police allege in court documents.
Officials believe Gardner Jr. became enraged after he heard 38-year-old Lei Tyree Johnson, his former girlfriend, having sex in one of the bedrooms above his basement apartment.
He shot Johnson once in the chest and her lover, 40-year-old Samuel Marshall Fowlkes Jr., in the head, about 11 p.m., investigators say.
Then he tried to strangle Johnson's middle school-age son, Anthony J. Johnson, who saw Gardner Jr. emerge from the bedroom after the killings, authorities allege.
Gardner Jr. voluntarily met with police yesterday morning at a 7-Eleven outside of Annapolis, police spokesman Ray Weaver said. Investigators questioned him until about 11 p.m., when police say he confessed to the crimes and was formally arrested.
Police say Elbert Gardner Jr., 57, killed his former girlfriend and her lover Tuesday night.
Weaver didn't know why Anthony Johnson stayed in the house until he ran to a neighbor's house at 5:30 the next morning. He may have been unconscious from the attempted strangling until that time.
The boy spent most of yesterday with detectives, Weaver said. He's now in the care of relatives.
Gardner Jr. had been under stress lately, an acquaintance said after the court hearing. He's been separated from his wife for about a year, and the bank is foreclosing on his house in the Truxtun Heights neighborhood.
“Contrary to what people believe, he's still a good guy,” said the female friend, who wouldn't give her name. “You can only take so much pressure.”
The 19-year Annapolis resident works at the U.S. Naval Academy. Academy officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Fowlkes Jr. worked at Anne Arundel Medical Center, according to Kathy Godfrey-Howard, who knew him for years. He lived in Obery Court, the Annapolis public housing community, until it was torn down in April.
Using his nickname “Bobo,” she described Fowlkes as a kind man who visited her mother in the hospital when she was dying several years ago.
“I am shocked this man is gone,” said Godfrey-Howard, who lives in the College Creek Terrace community across from Obery Court. “He didn't bother nobody.”
The Muckraker couldn't reach Gardner Jr. of Johnson's family for comment this morning.
Gardner Jr. was married to Mary G. Gardner until about a year ago, when he became separated from his wife, according to neighbors who new the couple from their former home on Chatham Lane. He cheated on his wife with Johnson, which led to the couple's separation.
Lei and Anthony Johnson moved in with Gardner Jr. in the Chatham Lane house after Mary moved out, neighbors said. The trio moved into 11 Goodrich Road about nine months ago.
But police say Gardner Jr. and Johnson recently broke off their relationship and continued to live in the same house. On Tuesday, he heard “sexual activity” coming from the basement in which he was living, pulled a revolver from underneath his pillow and shot the couple in their upstairs bedroom, according to court documents.
After he tried to kill Anthony, Gardner Jr. layed the boy on his bed and left.
Investigators said they found a revolver at the scene of the crime, which was registered to Gardner Jr.
Detectives searched Gardner Jr.'s Chatham Lane house for most of the day yesterday. At least five police cars were in the driveway for most of the day.
He and is wife owe more than $16,000 in mortgage payments on the house, and the bank recently started the foreclosure process, according to court records.
Tyler Durden, Annapolis, MD:
So the drug dealers have finally wised up and taken a lesson from Corporate America - do it discretely behind closed ...
Takiva, Annapolis, MD: I think that that is messed up. He shouldn't have killed her just b/c she's having sex with her other lover. ...
Anonymous, Annapolis, MD: This is outrageous. How about cutting a few of the 17 $100k + salaried positions in our city government to ...
Kyle G. Roberts, Annapolis, MD: Annapolis needs Josh Cohen.
Custom Search
Jeff Bates
Virginia Beach, VA
I think that that is messed up. He shouldn't have killed her just b/c she's having sex with her other lover.
Takiva
Annapolis, MD
Please read our particiation rules before posting