Southeast Baltimore – Roderick King was convicted of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, armed carjacking, armed robbery, use of a firearm in a crime of violence among other charges for a carjacking and attack that took place in Highlandtown in the Spring of 2018.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorney Matt Pillion.
On April 22, 2018, shortly before 1:30 AM, the victim was leaving her job at a local pizza shop, in the 400 block of S. Conkling Street of the Highlandtown neighborhood. She walked out of the restaurant and over to her car, parked in a small pad beside the building. As soon as she reached her car, an unknown male, later identified as the defendant Roderick King, and a female suddenly approached her. King produced a black handgun and demanded the victim’s purse and car keys.
When the victim tried to escape, King jumped into the driver’s seat while his female associate entered the rear driver’s side seat. A struggle ensued, and the defendant also pistol-whipped the victim. The victim was eventually able to roll out of the car and fall to the ground. When the victim tried to raise from the ground, King shot her at close range in the head. The victim, still conscious, ran across the street to another restaurant where a family member was working. There, at the restaurant, the victim collapsed. Medics soon arrived and took the victim to Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment.
Later in the afternoon on April 22nd, Baltimore County police responded to an address in Rosedale where a homeowner reported a suspicious abandoned car that was parked in front of her house and appeared to have blood splattered on it. County police ran the tag information and found that it was the victim’s car, which had been reported stolen.
Through investigation, BPD Detectives were able to obtain surveillance video from local businesses near the crime scene that captured footage of the attack. The footage showed that the defendant and the female associate walked along Eastern Avenue eastbound before reaching Conkling Street. The pair then turned north onto Conkling, attacked the victim, and then fled in the victim’s car toward Pulaski Highway. Detectives were able to create “Be-On-the-Look-Out” flyers, and circulate video and still images of the defendant and the female associate as well as the missing car for broadcast on local news and social media.
Several days later, the victim was able to identify the defendants through images she discovered on social media.
Detectives could not immediately locate the defendant, but through coordination with U.S. Marshals, both King and the female associate were found in South Carolina where they fled and were staying with a relative.
“I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this trial as it is clear this defendant has no regard for human life and does not deserve to walk freely among us any longer,” said State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby. “The resilience of this victim is extraordinary, and I applaud her tenacity and commitment to ensuring her attacker was brought to justice. I must also recognize the impeccable collaboration between my office, BPD, Baltimore County Police, and the Canton and Highland communities for supporting our efforts through the investigation and trial process. This is a great example of a community and law enforcement partnership holding those who wreak havoc on our communities fully accountable.”
King’s sentencing is scheduled for September 19, 2019. He faces life plus 115 years for his crimes.
