A second man has been charged with murder in the slaying of a Alexandria activist whose body was found stuffed in 23-foot-deep well, and Prince George’s County police say more arrests are expected to come in the case.
Twenty-year-old Ivan Newman, of Waldorf, was arrested Thursday morning without incident on charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and robbery in connection with the shooting death of Lenwood “Lenny” Harris.
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The arrest comes two days after police charged Linwood Johnson, 49, of Oxon Hill, with first-degree murder in the case.
“We do expect to make more arrests in the case, and we are actively working on multiple leads,” said police spokeswoman Julie Parker.
Parker would not say whether Newman knew the 53-year-old victim or how he knew Johnson.
Police on Tuesday said Johnson and the victim knew of each other but would not elaborate because the investigation is ongoing.
Harris, a staple of Alexandria politics, was shot and killed in Fort Washington on Old Fort Road, police said. The motive for his slaying was robbery.
Harris’ disappearance in September caused great concern among Alexandria residents after the activist’s cell phone was found discarded on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and surveillance video showed someone else using his credit card at an automated teller machine shortly after he was last seen.
Detectives got a break in the case last week after an person anonymously called 911 and told authorities to look inside the well near a vacant house at 11901 Old Fort Road.
Police said Harris was last seen about 9 p.m. on Sept. 21 at the Charles Houston Recreation Center in Alexandria, where he was visiting his friend, former lightweight boxing champion Tony Suggs.
Authorities got involved the next day when Harris failed to show up to give a presentation with Suggs at the Alexandria jail. His car was abandoned in Prince George’s County.
Police confirmed that a body was at the bottom of the well Thursday, and it took nearly three days to recover the remains without destroying the crime scene, police said.
Harris, a former businessman and the founder of a nonprofit, was a fighter for the poor. He and his wife had been married for 19 years.
