A 20-year-old Baltimore man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in two entirely separate killings carried out within weeks of each other in the summer of 2024 — one a targeted shooting for which he allegedly expected cash and marijuana, the other a highway body dump that rattled a Brooklyn Park neighborhood. Deondre Tywon Sharps entered his pleas in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis, admitting to two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of using a firearm in a violent crime.
According to the Anne Arundel County Government, Sharps is scheduled to be sentenced on January 25, 2027, before Judge Richard Trunnell.
A Killing Allegedly Arranged Over Instagram
The first killing happened on June 14, 2024, when Anne Arundel County Police responded to the 1600 block of Meade Village Circle in Severn and found 34-year-old Keion Damont McKinney dead from a single gunshot wound to the head, per the county's account. Investigators identified a black 2004 Lincoln Navigator with distinct exterior damage as the suspect vehicle, the same report states.
Per the Banner's reporting, surveillance footage showed a man shooting McKinney once before walking toward a black SUV while still holding the gun. The Banner also reports that an Instagram account attributed to Sharps had advertised availability for murder for hire. Separately, the killing was targeted, with Sharps expected to receive payment and marijuana in exchange.
Fingerprints Tie Sharps to a Second, Unrelated Death
Two weeks later, on June 29, 2024, Joshua Ray Holland was found dead at an intersection on Governor Ritchie Highway in Brooklyn Park, according to the Banner. An autopsy found Holland died from four gunshot wounds to the head and body after being dropped off along the roadway, the county government notes. Crime scene technicians matched fingerprints from the exterior driver door window of Holland's towed vehicle to Sharps on July 11, 2024, the same county account states.
Holland, 34, lived in Curtis Bay and worked as a milling machine operator for construction firm Allan Myers; he was a father of eight, according to the National Gun Violence Memorial. The dumping of his body on the highway sparked severe safety concerns among Brooklyn Park residents, concerns that intensified two days later when an unrelated fatal stabbing occurred on the same block, as reported by WJZ CBS Baltimore.
Stolen Car Arrest Led Police Back to Both Scenes
Sharps was first arrested on July 6, 2024, in Baltimore on a charge of operating a stolen vehicle, per the Banner. During that arrest, police found a handgun consistent with the one used to kill McKinney, the outlet reports. He was formally charged with both homicides on September 10, 2024, while he was already incarcerated in Baltimore stemming from that stolen vehicle arrest, according to the county government's account.
Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said she was glad Sharps was being held accountable, per the Banner. “My heart goes out to the families of Mr. McKinney and Mr. Holland on the tragic loss of their loved ones,” Leitess said, as reported by the outlet.
What Sharps Faces at Sentencing
Under Maryland Criminal Law Code § 2-201, first-degree murder carries a mandatory penalty of life imprisonment or life without the possibility of parole, following the state's legislative abolition of the death penalty in May 2013, according to FindLaw. With two first-degree murder convictions now on his record, Sharps faces that statutory framework when he appears before Judge Trunnell in January.
A Decade-Low Homicide Year, Then a Slight Rise
The two June 2024 killings occurred during what turned out to be a historically quiet year for violence countywide. Anne Arundel County recorded 10 homicides in 2024, a 17% drop from 12 in 2023 and the lowest annual total in over a decade, with a 60% clearance rate, according to the county government. Violent crime kept declining through 2025, with contact shootings down 19% and non-contact shootings down 26%, though total homicides ticked up slightly to 11, the county government reported in a separate release.
In response to continued gun violence concentrated in neighborhoods like the one where Holland's body was found, the Anne Arundel County Department of Health began funding a targeted Brooklyn Park Violence Interruption Program in 2026, aimed at community-based outreach, per the county health department.
The case adds to a string of recent first-degree murder resolutions moving through Anne Arundel County courts, including a Middle River robbery-murder plea last month.
