ANNAPOLIS, Md — A gang leader in Anne Arundel County is set to receive the maximum sentence after orchestrating the death of another prisoner.
52-year-old Joseph Leissler has been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the murder of 43-year-old John O’Sullivan another prisoner at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Jessup. Additionally, he was sentenced to another life sentence and 40 years to run concurrently.
Leissler the leader of the Aryan Brotherhood in Maryland, was found guilty of all charges which included first degree murder, supervising a criminal gang, participation in a criminal gang resulting in death, participation in a criminal gang, and conspiracy to commit first degree murder on August 23.
Leissler had fellow gang members Vincent Bunner, Calvin Lockner and Brian Hare viciously attack O’Sullivan who was a ranking member of a rival gang, Dead Man Incorporated (DMI). O’Sullivan was attacked with homemade prison knives and it was in retribution for a gang-related assault, not involving any of the parties, which occurred at another prison. The trio stabbed O’Sullivan with homemade metal knives. Video surveillance captured the three defendants attacking O’Sullivan as he attempted to flee his cell and run for help toward the control booth area of the tier.
“The defendant has been leading a violent life inside the jail and this sentence sends a clear message that justice doesn’t stop at the prison door and that any violent acts committed within prison will have real world consequences,” said State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess. “It’s my hope that the verdict provides the loved ones of Mr. O’Sullivan with a sense of solace, now that the fourth person involved in his death was held accountable and sentenced.”
O’Sullivan was set to be released from prison just months after the attack.