BALTIMORE — Pierre Sims has been sentenced to 30 years, suspend all but 12 years, the first five without parole after pleading guilty to first degree assault, robbery with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy commit burglary, and use of a handgun in the Commission of a Crime of Violence.
Assistant State’s Attorney Adam Lane Chaudry prosecuted this case.
“The courage projected in their testimony is a testament to the strength of this family in seeing that justice was done, despite being subject to abject terror that day,” said Chaudry.
On August 6, 2014, just before 5 o’clock in the evening, Baltimore Police were flagged down by a witness who told them he had just received a text message from his friend advising that he and his family were being held hostage by two unknown men. Multiple police units responded to the home on the 2400 block of E. Fayette Street and found seven family members, the majority of them children, bound and gagged with various belts and other articles of clothing in the basement of the residence.
The investigation revealed that Pierre Sims and David Perkins, who was found guilty in last month, forced their way into the family’s residence and stole electronics and money. The suspects armed with a handgun and a knife, which was retrieved from the family’s kitchen, terrorized the family for approximately two hours as they ransacked the home.
In the course of the incident the suspects held the handgun to the head of a 9-year-old boy, and assaulted the mother who was 8 ½ months pregnant at the time, by dragging her up and down the stairs by her hair. Prior to the Sims and Perkins fleeing the home, they told the family that if they contacted police they would return and kill them all starting with the youngest child first.
Using one of the victim’s cell phone tracking software, Baltimore Police were able to track down Sims shortly after the violent assault. Sims was wearing a book bag filled with some of the stolen property, including an identification card of one of the victim’s.
Pursuant to the investigation, additional stolen property was reported found in the area later that evening and the following day. Perkins was developed as the second suspect and positively identified via photographic arrays by the victims. Perkin’s fingerprints were later identified as being found on two money canisters in the basement of the family’s residence.
“This was an act of violence committed by cowards,” said State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. “To subject a pregnant woman and children to such violence is unfathomable. My office will continue to ensure that violent offenders face the maximum penalty allowed by the court.”
Perkins will be sentenced on August 16, 2016, he faces 232 years in prison. A jury found him guilty of first degree assault, second degree assault, robbery with a dangerous weapon, first degree burglary, use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence, and several other charges.
