On April 7, 2022, after a four (4) day jury trial, Jaron Purnell, of Delmar, Maryland, was convicted of one count of Second Degree Murder, one count of Attempted Second Degree Murder, one count of Firearm Use in a Violent Crime, one count of Illegal Possession of a Firearm and related charges.
The Honorable Kathleen L. Beckstead, Chief Judge of the Circuit Court for Wicomico County, presided over the trial. Sentencing was postponed to allow for a pre-sentencing investigation to be completed.
On the night of April 17, 2020, Jaron Purnell and others ambushed the victims as they sat in their vehicle at the Merrifield Apartments in Salisbury, Maryland, firing at least 16 rounds into the victims’ car. The hail of bullets killed the driver of the vehicle and injured a second occupant.
At the time of the offense, Purnell was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a prior firearms conviction.
Wicomico County State’s Attorney (SA) Jamie Dykes, who prosecuted the case with Senior Assistant State’s Attorney D. Scott Messersmith, commended the members of the Maryland State Police (MSP) Homicide Unit and the Salisbury Police Department (SPD) for their work in the investigation, specifically thanking MSP D/SGT K. Clark, MSP SGT H. Kennard and SPD Det. D. Underwood for their hard work and diligence in this investigation.
Follow the Eastern Shore Undercover social media pages for all of your Wicomico, Worcester, and Somerset County news, events, and important information!