A Baltimore City man brutally beaten into a coma during an unprovoked attack nearly 10 months ago has died at 28.
Zach Sowers, whose assault typified the random nature of urban crime, passed away about 10 p.m. Tuesday, according to a Web site run by Sowers? friends and family.
“It is with great sadness that I write to tell you that my close and wonderful friend, Zach Sowers, passed away [Tuesday] after a long and steady decline,” the Web site, zachsowers.com, states. “Anna [Sowers? widow] called me today to tell me that he passed away peacefully …. Zach is now at peace after a long and treacherous battle. He was so strong and fought until the very end but it provides comfort for us all to know that he is now in heaven, watching over his friends and family.”
Sowers was beaten into a coma during a street robbery June 2 in Canton ? and had remained in what doctors call a persistent vegetative state. Because of a plea deal cut with Baltimore City prosecutors, the teenagers responsible for Sowers? death will not face murder charges.
After the assault, Anna Sowers took on an activist role, speaking out against crime, and is working on a bill that would allow prosecutors to charge suspects with murder if their victims have been beaten into a coma and remain in a persistent vegetative state for more than four weeks.
Sowers said she also is planning a civil lawsuit against the four teenssentenced in her husband?s beating.
Trayvon Ramos, 16, was sentenced to 40 years in prison. Ramos? co-defendants ? Eric Price, 17, Arthur Jeter, 18, and Wilburt Martin, 19 ? each received eight years.
“Anna has told me that she and the family are doing as well as can be,” the Web site states. “They have a strong network of friends and family supporting them and ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time.”
Memorial services will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Stauffer Funeral Homes in Frederick. Funeral services are planned for Saturday in Circleville, Ohio, Zach Sowers? birthplace.
Click here for information about donations, “which will be used for The Zach Sowers Brain Trauma Research Fund at Johns Hopkins and/or continuing legislative efforts for Zach?s Law,” according to the Web site.
