BALTIMORE — A 24-year-old is facing murder charges after police discovered the body of Jeffrey Brooks Jr. at a gas station in Northeast Baltimore.
On Thursday, March 23, police were called to the 3100 block of Mary Avenue for the reports of a missing person.
Officers arrived and located Brooks' father, whom he was living with at the time with his roommate, Markis Russell.
The father, Brooks Sr., told police he saw Russell leave the home with a wet vacuum.
After speaking with Brooks Sr., police located the girlfriend of Brooks Jr. who had access to their home and saw that the carpet was wet.
Officers spoke to Russell on the phone and he told police that he used the vacuum to clean up the apartment due to having a dog and the house needed to be cleaned because they were moving.
Brooks Sr. reported to police that blood was found at the residence.
Police followed up with Brooks Sr. regarding the missing persons report and he stated that he still had not heard from Brooks Jr., which was out of character for him.
The next day, police were alerted to be on the lookout for a black 2015 Chevy Malibu, which was owned by Russell.
Shortly after the message was sent out police found the vehicle in the 2300 block of East North Avenue.
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Officers found a glock box in the front passenger seat, Russell informed officers that there was a weapon inside.
Russell was taken into interrogation where he waved his rights and spoke to police about the whereabouts of his roommate.
According to charging documents, on March 22, Russell told police he arrived home sometime after 9:30 p.m. After he was beginning to get settled, Brooks Jr. confronted him about money that Russell owed him.
Police say that Russell stated that Brooks Jr. was going to keep what was owed to him out of the deposit they paid to rent the apartment.
Russell went on to say that it was his intention to leave the apartment by the end of the month. He also went on to say that the total of the deposit that he was to receive was $470, when he owed Brooks Jr. over $300.
As the exchange continued, the argument went from verbal to physical.
Charging documents also reveal Russell told police that Brooks Jr. grabbed a knife and was approaching him in a manner that he felt that he was going to stab him.
Russell then grabbed his weapon and shot Brooks one time. He removed his body by himself and placed the remains in the back of Brooks' vehicle, a 2009 Subaru Outback.
He then proceeded to disclose to detectives that he drove the vehicle from the residence to a Carroll Fuel gas station. He then parked the vehicle in the back of the lot, threw the keys somewhere, and ran home.
Police canvassed the area and later located Brooks' vehicle.
We last reported that Russell was currently waiting to see a court commissioner at Central Booking.
WMAR-2 News received this statement from Brooks Jr.'s family:
“Our hearts are broken on the devastating news about our son, nephew, brother- Jeffery. We were hoping for a different outcome. He was an incredible young man with so much life ahead of him. We hope that justice is served in this horrific act.
We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time.”
