Two suspects arrested in Jan. 2 homicide in Gaithersburg

Montgomery County police have arrested two suspects in the January 2, 2026 shooting death of 18-year-old Taeyon Malachi Prather in Gaithersburg. 16-year-old Wisdom Da-Silva Baptista, of Gaithersburg, and 20-year-old Kevin Jesus Perez Fierro, of Montgomery Village, have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery. The robbery was allegedly of a jacket that Prather had intended to sell to the suspects, and other unspecified property belonging to the victim. 

Detectives say a tip submitted to the department led to the apprehensions. Arrest warrants were obtained for both suspects on January 11. The following day, Perez Fierro was taken into custody at his home in Montgomery Village, and Da-Silva Baptista was arrested at his home in Gaithersburg. Both suspects are being held at the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit while they await bond hearings. While Da-Silva Baptista has been charged as an adult, his mugshot was not released by police.

Police investigate homicide in Gaithersburg

Montgomery County homicide detectives are investigating the death of a man in Gaithersburg on Friday, January 2, 2025. At 7:21 PM that evening, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service personnel were dispatched to a parking lot in the 23600 block of Rolling Fork Way. The 911 caller had reported a man laying on the ground there. When paramedics arrived at the scene, they found 18-year-old Taeyon Malachi Prather of Gaithersburg suffering from a gunshot wound. He was declared dead, and police were then called to investigate.

Prather's death was ruled a homicide after a coroner's examination. Police say no suspect is in custody and no suspect information is available at this time. Detectives are asking anyone with information related to this homicide to contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County. Tips can be submitted anonymously by visiting crimesolversmcmd.org and clicking “Submit a Tip,” or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward ranging from $250 to $10,000.

Gaithersburg man dies after assault in Rockville

A Gaithersburg man was the victim of a fatal assault at Silver Diner at 12276 Rockville Pike at Federal Plaza in Rockville on May 21, 2025, Montgomery County police say. Officers responded to a report of an assault at the popular restaurant at 11:52 PM that evening. When they arrived, they found Fredi Torres, 49, of Gaithersburg to be unresponsive. Officers immediately began lifesaving efforts, until Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Services personnel arrived. MCFRS transported Torres to a local hospital, where he tragically later passed away.

Detectives are urging any customers of the restaurant who may have witnessed the incident to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page, or call 1-866-411-8477. Tipsters may remain anonymous. 

Two suspects arrested in Montgomery Village homicide

Two suspects are now in custody in relation to the April 26, 2025 death of a Clarksburg man in Montgomery Village. Demari Howard Brown, 20, of Montgomery Village, was arrested on Thursday, May 1, Montgomery County police report. Jorden Nylen Hungerford, 19, of Hyattsville turned himself in to Rockville City Police on Saturday, May 3. Both men were wanted by police for their alleged involvement in the shooting death of 20-year-old Henry Krishawn Gilbert of Montgomery Village.  

Police investigate Montgomery Village homicide

A bizarre auto accident in Montgomery Village has turned into a homicide case, after an autopsy was completed on the driver in the one-car crash on April 26, 2025. Henry Krishawn Gilbert, 20, of Clarksburg was behind the wheel of a vehicle when it slammed into a townhome in the 9800 block of Brookridge Court in Montgomery Village at 11:51 AM that morning. Police responding to the accident discovered Gilbert was suffering from a gunshot wound. Officers attempted to administer lifesaving care, but Gilbert tragically passed away at the scene.

No suspect is in custody at this time. Detectives are urging anyone with information regarding this case to contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County. Tips can be submitted anonymously at www.crimesolversmcmd.org by clicking the "Submit a Tip" link, or by calling 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward ranging from $250 to $10,000.

Gaithersburg woman killed her mother, police allege

Montgomery County police have arrested a Gaithersburg woman after she called 911 yesterday, November 4, 2024, and allegedly declared to the dispatcher that she had killed her mother. Officers responding to the scene at 9:53 AM Monday found the body of Guichun Hu, 63, in a field outside her home in the 19400 block of Olive Tree Way in Gaithersburg. Her daughter, Tiffany Zhang, 29, met police outside the home and was taken into custody without incident. She allegedly confessed to having killed her mother on Sunday during her 911 call. 

Tiffany Zhang has been charged with 1st-degree murder. Her mugshot has not been released by police.

Police investigating Montgomery Village homicide

Montgomery County police detectives are investigating a homicide that took place in Montgomery Village on Sunday, September 22, 2024. Officers responded to a report of a shooting in the 18500 block of Boysenberry Drive at 11:24 AM Sunday. They located an adult male victim, Antoine Lavale Parker, 37, inside his apartment suffering from gunshot wounds. Tragically, Parker was declared deceased, and Maryland's Chief Medical Examiner determined the cause of his death to be homicide on Monday.

Detectives are urging anyone with information regarding this homicide to contact Crime Solvers of Montgomery County. Tips can be submitted anonymously at www.crimesolversmcmd.org by clicking on the “www.p3tips.com” link, or by calling 1-866-411-8477. Tips leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward ranging from $250 to $10,000.

Gaithersburg man dies in Montgomery Village shooting

A shooting in Montgomery Village yesterday morning has left a Gaithersburg man dead, Montgomery County police announced today. The adult male victim has not yet been identified, but officers have arrested the man they say was the shooter. Officers responding to the shooting in the 19300 block of Club House Road at 11:38 AM found the victim suffering from several gunshot wounds. They attempted lifesaving measures, but the victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detectives determined the identity of the alleged shooter shortly afterward. By 12:15 PM, 20-year-old Oliver Alexis Perez Fierro of Montgomery Village had already been taken into custody. A search warrant executed at Perez Fierro's residence led to the discovery of items linking him to the shooting. 

Perez Fierro has been charged with 1st-degree murder, and the use of a handgun in the commission of a felony. He is currently being held without bond. His mugshot has not been released.

Police believe the incident was related to a dispute between the alleged shooter and the deceased victim. There is not believed to be any danger to the community at this time. Detectives are attempting to contact family members of the victim, and expect to release his identity after they have been notified.

Montgomery County police arrest suspects in Montgomery Village shooting death

Osman Antonio Maldonado

Montgomery County police have arrested two suspects in relation to the November 10, 2023 shooting death of Gaithersburg resident Alan Garnica, 22. The homicide took place in the 18400 block of Lost Knife Circle. Kenes Yair Guevara, 19, and Osman Antonio Maldonado, 20, have both been charged with first-degree murder. Guevara is a resident of Gaithersburg; police did not identify the hometown of Maldonado. Both men remain in custody, awaiting bond hearings.

Kenes Yair Guevara

Police seek suspects in midday fatal shooting in Montgomery Village

Montgomery County police are seeking the public's help in identifying and locating the shooter and anyone else involved in a fatal shooting in Montgomery Village this past Friday, November 10, 2023. At the height of the weekday lunch hour at 12:26 PM, police were called to investigate the sound of gunfire in the 18400 block of Lost Knife Circle, near the Cider Mill Apartments and a busy shopping center (which includes my favorite Little Caesar's in Montgomery County). Arriving at the scene, officers eventually found two men suffering from gunshot wounds.

One victim was transported to a local hospital in critical condition, but the second, Alan Garnica of Gaithersburg, was tragically pronounced dead at the scene. Garnica was located about twenty minutes after the initial call at a separate location on the same block.

The suspect(s) remain at large. Lost Knife Circle is one of the highest-crime areas in Montgomery County, and has been for many years.

Detectives from the Montgomery County Department of Police – Major Crimes Division are asking for anyone with a home security system, to review video footage, and contact Major Crimes detectives at (240) 773-5070 with any evidence regarding this shooting.

Anyone with information regarding suspect(s) or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County, MD website at www.crimesolversmcmd.org and click on the “www.p3tips.com” link at the top of the page or call 1-866-411-8477.  A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information that leads to the arrest of the suspects. Tips may remain anonymous. 

Gaithersburg woman charged with murder of her boyfriend

Montgomery County police have arrested a suspect in the stabbing death of 20-year-old Jose Manuel Zavala Marquez. Jennifer Abigail Espinoza Orellana, 21, of Gaithersburg allegedly stabbed Zavala Marquez outside her residence in the 8000 block of Shady Spring Drive early Sunday morning. Police say Zavala Marquez was her boyfriend.

Espinoza Orellana allegedly dropped the injured victim off at Shady Grove Hospital in Rockville, and left. Police were called by hospital staff at 5:51 AM Sunday. Zavala Marquez was later pronounced dead at the hospital. 

Espinoza Orellana has been charged with 2nd-degree murder in the case. She is being held without bond. A medical examiner will investigate and rule on the cause of Zavala Marquez's death, police say.

Suspect arrested in Montgomery Village homicide

Montgomery County police have arrested a suspect in the February 16, 2023 homicide in Montgomery Village. William Oligiwan Cutler, 35, of no fixed address, was taken into custody Friday, and has been charged with first-degree murder. He remains jailed at the department's Central Processing Unit.

Louis James Chesley, 41, was Cutler's alleged victim. He was found by officers making a wellness check around 12:09 PM in the 19000 block of Mills Choice Road. Chesley was pronounced dead at the scene, and his body has been transferred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, where an autopsy will attempt to determine the manner and cause of his death.

Gaithersburg man arrested in fatal stabbing near Downtown Crown

A fatal stabbing in Rockville last night has led to an arrest, and is under investigation by Montgomery County police detectives. Deonte Foreman, 21, of Rockville was stabbed outside his home in the 10100 block of Reprise Drive around 9:21 PM Monday night. Police arrived after someone called 911 to report a shooting at that location. Officers found Foreman suffering from multiple stab wounds, and attempted to provide medical assistance until County Fire and Rescue personnel arrived, but Foreman was ultimately pronounced dead at the scene.

Demarco Rayford, 26, of Gaithersburg was arrested at the scene. Detectives allege that Foreman and Rayford had an argument, which escalated into an altercation. During that fight, police allege that Rayford stabbed Foreman multiple times. Rayford has been charged with 2nd degree murder; police have not yet provided a mugshot of Rayford.

The location of the homicide is near the Gaithersburg border, directly adjacent to the Crown Farm development.  Police say their investigation is ongoing.

Lakeforest Mall homicide

Gaithersburg police responded to a report of a stabbing at Lakeforest Mall yesterday at 10:52 AM. A Montgomery County police spokesperson later confirmed that the vicim had died. 

It's disturbing to hear this tragic incident being used to promote redevelopment of the mall property, as if crime will disappear in that area simply by building housing and urban-style retail. The crime doesn't come from the mall - it comes from the criminals who are active in that area, none of whom live on the mall property today, at last check.

Lakeforest Mall was once a thriving destination with packed parking lots. A succession of greedy owners have run the mall into the ground, in the hopes of justifying a demolition. They've been facilitated and coddled in their willful negligence by developer-beholden politicians. The joke will be on them when their mall is replaced with a new-but-equally-high-crime neighborhood of "missing middle" townhomes and apartments, a short walk from the very high crime area of Lost Knife Circle. 

Germantown homicide breaks Montgomery County yearly homicide record, set almost 30 years ago

Montgomery County tied its 1994 homicide record of 34 this week, with the brutal stabbing death of a man in a stairwell at the Shops of Wisconsin in Bethesda. Last night, the County's record was broken with a homicide reported at 6:35 PM in the 19300 block of Circle Gate Drive in Germantown. The record was smashed just as it was revealed that the County police force has shrunk by 56 officers since February 2021. Response times have suffered, and the annual number of police traffic stops plunged from 106,075 in 2019 to only 39,412 in 2020.

Defunding of the police department by the County Council accounts for only 27 of the 56 lost officer positions. The others have resulted from retiring officers not being replaced, and from reduced morale. Perhaps the only relief for County officials who have to own the new record of 35 homicides, is that there are only seven more days in 2021.

Juvenile charged in mass shooting at Plum Gar Community Center in Germantown

Montgomery County police have arrested and charged a juvenile in the mass shooting at Plum Gar Community Center in Germantown last night. Four people were shot in the incident, which occurred around 10:00 PM Wednesday night, August 18, 2021. One victim has died.

Three victims were found wounded on the basketball court at the center. Police located a fourth victim nearby. All four were transported to local hospitals. The lone adult victim, Axel Trejos, 20, was later pronounced dead.

After setting up a perimeter around the center, officers took two male juveniles into custody. Shilen Wylie, 14, was charged with one count of first-degree murder, and three counts of attempted first-degree murder. Wylie has been charged as an adult, which is why his name has been made public. The second male has so far not been charged.

Montgomery County police ask anyone who has information about this homicide to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.  Anonymous tipsters can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477) or submit a tip online or via the P3 Tips app.

Missing Gaithersburg man now believed to have been murdered, police say

A Gaithersburg missing person case has become a homicide case, Montgomery County police detectives said yesterday. Jose Gonzalez (“Piti” to friends), 32, of the 9600 block of Horizon Run Road was reported missing by his family on August 23, 2020. He had not been seen in Gaithersburg since August 9, after returning from a work trip. 

Now, detectives say, their investigation has turned up evidence that Gonzalez was murdered. They're hoping to find more evidence in the case with the public's help. Detectives with the Major Crimes Division urge anyone with information about the disappearance of Jose Gonzalez, to include anyone who saw Gonzalez on August 9 or knows about his movements on that day, to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070 or Crime Solvers by phone: 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), online, or via the Crime Solvers app. Callers can remain anonymous.  

Homicide reported in Gaithersburg

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a homicide in Gaithersburg yesterday afternoon, Thursday, February 4, 2021. The homicide was reported at a commercial parking lot in the 15700 block of Shady Grove Road around 3:21 PM. A firearm was the weapon used, crime data indicates.

Double murder in Montgomery Village

Montgomery County police detectives are investigating a double homicide in Montgomery Village. The victims were killed inside an unspecified model vehicle parked in the 8200 block of Gallery Court around 10:45 last night. Police were alerted by a 911 caller in the area who heard gunfire. Both victims died at the scene, detectives say.

Police have not yet released the identities of the two victims.

Detectives urge anyone who may have information about this double homicide to contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.  For those who wish to remain anonymous, Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspect(s).  Tipsters can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

Victim in Montgomery Village shooting homicide identified, police locate wounded 2nd victim

Montgomery County Police have identified the male victim in Friday's fatal shooting in Montgomery Village. Wassi Harron Raheem Young, 20, of Vermont Avenue in Hyattsville was likely not a random victim, police say. Young and an unidentified 23-year-old male may have agreed to meet the shooter(s) in the 8500 block of Hawk Run Terrace, detectives believe.

Police learned of the second victim when he was admitted to an unidentified local hospital suffering from gunshot wounds. After interviewing him, detectives determined he had been shot in the same Montgomery Village incident.

Detectives say they will not divulge any additional information at this time, "due to the ongoing investigation." However, they are still seeking information from the public about this homicide. If you have any, contact the Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5070.  For those who wish to remain anonymous, Crime Solvers of Montgomery County is offering a reward of up to $10,000 for any information that leads to the arrest of the suspect(s).  Tipsters can call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).