A relative of one of the key witnesses in the slaying of 15-year-old Christina Ann Richardson said he has moved her out of the city because he fears for her life.
As the community reels from the death of one of Baltimore?s youngest homicide victims, the family of a 16-year-old witness in the case against Lloyd Chase, 17, and Calvin Puryear, 19 ? both charged with murdering Richardson ? said she is a target of retribution.
The relative, whose name is being withheld to protect the witness, said the threats have been ongoing.
“Three girls knocked on my door ? one of them had a gun ? looking for her,” the relative said. “I fear for her life.”
The relative said the witness was beaten the day after Richardson?s death because people in the neighborhood mistakenly suspected the girl was involved in the killing after police questioned her.
Although the relative said police have cleared the girl of any involvement in Richardson?s slaying, threats are still coming.
“One of them said they were going to kick down our door,” he said. “I?ve sent [the witness] out of the city.”
The threats come days after Carl Stanley Lackl, a witness in a city murder case, was gunned down outside his Rosedale home a few days before the trial was scheduled to begin.
Jonathan Cordish, 15, and Ronald Williams, 21, both of Baltimore, were charged Friday with murdering Lackl.
Baltimore City State?s Attorney Patricia Jessamy sought federal help protecting witnesses in a meeting with the Justice Department on Wednesday.
“Patricia Jessamy discussed the problem of witness intimidation with U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales,” said Margaret Burns, spokeswoman for Jessamy. “She would like to see a stronger layer of protection. We need guns and badges to help protect witnesses, and the attorney general said he would look into it.”
Burns said Jessamy asked Gonzales to support a bill sponsored by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings that would allow federal marshals to assist local law enforcement with witness protection.
Relatives and neighbors, meanwhile, mourned the loss of a girl they described as happy and outgoing at funeral services Saturday.
“I loved her to her death,” Laura Lopez, 15, who attended Diggs Johnson Middle School with Richardson, said after her funeral. “I feel horrible. She was such a sweet girl.”
“It?s affected the entire community,” said neighbor Kim Brown, 36, as she left a stuffed animal outside the family?s West Baltimore row house. “She was a real good kid.”
Examiner Staff Writer Luke Broadwater contributed to this report.
Candidates speak out
As part of The Examiner?s ongoing coverage of Baltimore?s mayoral race, we asked the candidates to offer their assessment and solution for the problem of witness intimidation.
City Councilman Keiffer Mitchell:
“We need to fully fund witness protection programs and rebuild the trust between the community and the police department.”
Clerk of the Courts Frank Conaway:
“I believe that all witnesses should be given protection whether they want it or not. Also, judges should accept written or taped testimony from witnesses who are afraid to appear in court.”
State Del. Jill Carter:
“We need to attack the problem from the front and not the back. We want to protect people before they are attacked and not publish their names online and ensure police do everything they can to not expose witnesses before trials.”
Anthony McCarthy, spokesman for Mayor Sheila Dixon
“The mayor wants to strengthen the witness protection laws at the state level to make sure there is real teeth. She also supports Patricia Jessamy?s efforts to seek assistance from the U.S. marshals.”
Bob Kaufman
“We have to look at the root causes, why in the richest country in the history of the world do we have so many crimes, addiction and literacy than any other industrialized country. The bottom line is poverty and addiction cause the crime; we need to fix these problems first.”
Andrey Bundley
“One of the problems is the perception that if you assist the police, there will be retaliation. We have to change that perception. My mobile mayor?s office will show that somebody is there for them.”
What should be done to protect witnesses to crime? Respond below in our comment section.
