“We want the lawmakers to help change the laws that weren’t very effective,” Caroline LaPere said. “If House Bill 301 can pass, that would eliminate some of the violence because you shouldn’t have violent criminals released early from prison to go out and create havoc. In our case, murder someone that you love.”
There were 16 homicides in January, the fewest killings to start a year in Baltimore since 2016, according to a Baltimore Banner analysis of the Baltimore Police Department’s Part 1 Crime database. It’s also tied for the seventh fewest homicides in any month since Gray’s death.
"While this lengthy sentence ensures this defendant will never be free to walk our streets again, it still cannot bring back Kelsey Washington, whose life was taken from her family and community at just 13 years of age." Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates said. "This case is a painful reminder of what is at stake when gun violence takes hold of a city, and we must do everything in our power to eliminate it."
U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander sentenced Jose Hilario Aldana-Moreno, age 37, of Baltimore, Maryland, yesterday to 22 years in federal prison, followed by 40 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a child to produce of child pornography. Judge Hollander also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Aldana-Moreno must register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA”). The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department; and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates.
“This juvenile offender is allowed to continue to live his life completely normal,” said the mom, “The Court pretty much gave him a slap on the wrist. There was no justice for my child.”
Stewart’s mother said she wished the events that unfolded that terrible day had done so differently and that the co-defendants and victims could have talked things through. “I wish in my heart and soul that I wasn’t jealous and envious of [Shuler’s] family,” she added. “They get to see him. They get to be with him. They get to talk to him.” Since the deaths, Palmer’s mother said she came to the realization that “my son, Brian Christopher Palmer, died so future people can live,” referring to Shuler being put behind bars.
“A homicide near Morgan State University, at an off-campus housing facility, a place that should be a safe haven for our young people to learn, grow, and thrive in, is deeply traumatizing," States Attorney Ivan Bates said. "Though Mr. Wilson will spend the next two decades in prison, this sentence pales in comparison to the life he took from 19-year-old Mr. Julian Fruh."
On a long list of legislative priorities, Bates is setting his sights on combating the city’s juvenile crime crisis.
"The actions of Officer Payton not only victimized this local business, but eroded the fragile trust between community and law enforcement," said State's Attorney Ivan Bates. "Every single upstanding officer in the police department pays the price when one of their own casts ethics aside to commit a crime against the very people they are supposed to protect and serve. I thank my Public Trust & Police Integrity Unit for pursuing and achieving justice in this case and the Baltimore Police Officers who reported this egregious act and testified in court to the crime that occurred."
