A Howard County district judge denied bail Thursday to the 23-year-old Columbia man charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the separate shooting deaths of Alevtina Zhilina and Trae Davon Allen.
Charles David Richardson, appearing on closed-circuit television in an orange jumpsuit, sat expressionless as Howard County District Judge Pamila Brown gave her order.
“Because there are two first-degree murder charges, I am just not inclined to change the bail right now,” Brown said.
Richardson?s defense attorney, John Giannetti Jr., said his client intended to plead not-guilty to all charges in both cases.
During the hearing, the assistant state’s attorney said a weapon they believe was used in both shootings was recovered. Acting on tips, police found a handgun Thursday afternoon off the road near Routes 29 and 100, said Officer Jamie Myers, a police spokesman.
Ballistics tests matched the shell casings found in April at the 7-Eleven convenience store on Columbia Road where Zhilina, 40, was killed and the casings found in Richardson?s town house, where police found Allen, 19, Monday afternoon, said Assistant State?s Attorney Douglas Nelsen.
“Nothing is a no-brainer, your honor, but the suspect is accused of committing two out of three of the homicides in the county this year,” Nelsen said. “This defendant is clearly a risk to the community.”
Giannetti said his client wasn?t in the town house ? in a complex off Columbia Road known as The Berkshires ? at the time of Allen?s death, which police believe occurred between late Sunday night and early Monday morning.
The lease is in his mother?s name, but April Richardson-Mitchell recently moved from the town house to Forestville, and Charles Richardson hadn?t been living there, Giannetti said.
“That place was being used for all sorts of illegal purposes,” said Giannetti.
After the hearing, Giannetti said he hadn?t yet spoken with Richardson about where he was the night Allen was killed. He said he could not comment on the bleach-stained shirt found in the car in which Richardson was riding when he was arrested Tuesday night during a traffic stop in Ellicott City.
Giannetti, who also represented Richardson earlier this year in an attempted second-degree murder case ? those charges were dropped when the victim refused to cooperate ? said the witnesses who told police Richardson killed Allen were motivated by their dislike and distrust of him.
“You have these individuals who want my client in jail and would say anything to keep him locked up,” Giannetti said. “It would be nearly impossible for us to find out who did these things if he?s incarcerated.”
Richardson is being held in the Howard County Detention Center. A date for a preliminary hearing has not been set.
