Press Release
Defendant with Murder Record Sentenced to 20 Years for Robbery and Possession of a Firearm
January 14, 2025
Baltimore, Md. (January 14, 2025) - Today, Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates announced that defendant Keith Curtis was given a sentence of 20 years, with the first 10 years ineligible for parole, for Robbery and Possession of a Firearm with a Felony Conviction. A Baltimore City judge sentenced the defendant above the guidelines, given his previous conviction for First-Degree Murder in 1995. ASA Noor Amin prosecuted this case.
“It is evident that this defendant did not reform during his prior incarceration and continued to believe he was above the law, resuming his pattern of wreaking havoc in our communities,” said State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates. “This latest incident has resulted in the lengthy sentence that this defendant deserves for his repeated violent behavior. I hope that he uses this next period of incarceration to reflect on whether the contents of a cash register were truly worth sacrificing his freedom.”
On November 18, 2023, defendant Keith Curtis entered the ACE Hardware Store, located at 601 Homestead Street, where he was formerly employed. The defendant walked to one of the registers where the victim was working. The defendant ordered the victim to open the cash register and lifted his shirt to display the handle of a handgun inside his waistband area. The victim, who recognized the defendant, attempted to open the cash register, but it took him some time to do so because of his Parkinson’s disease. The defendant advised the victim to hurry up and that he had thirty seconds to do so. The victim was able to open the cash register and handed the defendant approximately $85 to $95 U.S. dollars. During a subsequent search of the defendant’s house on December 05, 2023, the Baltimore Police recovered a loaded handgun. The defendant is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior conviction for First Degree Murder in 1995 for fatally beating William H. McClain, a retired Johns Hopkins University professor, during a robbery on the front porch of the victim's Oakenshawe home.