What had been shaping up as a high-stakes murder trial in Baltimore County came to an abrupt halt Tuesday when jurors were sent home and the defendant suddenly changed course. Bryan Cherry agreed to plead guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the July 2024 killings of a grandmother and her granddaughter in Middle River. A judge will schedule sentencing at a later date, and prosecutors told the court they plan to seek life in prison without the possibility of parole on one count and a concurrent life term on the other.
The plea deal landed after more than eight hours of jury selection, during which 153 potential jurors were excused, according to WBAL. In court, prosecutors said the remaining charges in the case would be nolle prossed, meaning they will not be pursued, and that formal sentencing will be set later. Defense attorneys declined to offer any public comment as they left the courthouse.
How the case unfolded
Authorities first discovered the victims during a July welfare check at a home on the unit block of Taos Circle in Middle River. Baltimore County Police later identified the women as 75-year-old Iona Sellers and 29-year-old Autumn Harvey, according to Baltimore County Police. Hoodline covered the initial reporting on the killings in July 2024, as community members searched for surveillance footage and neighbors held vigils in the wake of the deaths. Residents told reporters that losing both women at once left the neighborhood deeply shaken.
Investigators say both victims suffered severe blunt-force trauma and lost a significant amount of blood. Detectives linked Cherry to the scene using DNA recovered from a discarded cigarette along with surveillance video, according to WMAR2News. That outlet and court records also connect Cherry to a July 14 Baltimore City homicide and to a June attack that left another man seriously wounded, describing what prosecutors characterized as a three-week crime spree. Investigators further say bank and store surveillance footage captured use of one victim’s stolen card in the days after the Middle River killings.
In a statement, Baltimore County State’s Attorney Scott Shellenberger said, “We are extremely pleased that the families of the victims in this case will see that justice has been served,” and added that the outcome will help protect the public while the defendant serves his sentence, WBAL reported. Prosecutors and defense attorneys did not explain in open court why the agreement was reached when it was, leaving the timing of the deal largely unaddressed.
What happens next
The court will set sentencing hearings for a later date, at which time prosecutors and defense lawyers will lay out their arguments on punishment before the judge. With Cherry’s guilty plea in place, the Baltimore County jury will not hear the case, though the judge will determine the final sentence. The counts that were not included in the plea agreement were nolle prossed and will not move forward at this time.
