Update:
Jeremi Quentin Lewis was sentenced to life without parole plus 100 years.
Original Story:
A Howard County jury has found 36-year-old Jeremi Quentin Lewis guilty of 1st-degree murder in the 2021 shooting death of 21-year-old Jaden Ealey and eight other crimes stemming from his leadership of a criminal organization that occurred from May 2020 to March 2022.
“Thanks to the tremendous work of our law enforcement officers and our judicial system, our community is a little safer today,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
“We will not tolerate violent crimes that terrorize our neighbors. Thank you to our Howard County Police Department, Howard County Sheriff’s Office and Howard County State’s Attorney’s office for their combined efforts to hold the responsible parties accountable.”
On the evening of May 30, 2021, Howard County police were called to the 6000 block of Foreland Garth for a report of shots fired. Officers located Ealey behind the Exxon gas station suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in critical condition and later died on June 11th, 2021.
“Our office is grateful to all our partners who helped make this result possible and to the jury who carefully weighed all the evidence in this case after a three-week trial,” said State’s Attorney Rich Gibson.
“We also want to thank the community for helping us identify these types of crimes by reporting suspicious behavior to police. And finally, our heart goes out to everyone who was harmed by the defendants of this criminal gang organization and in particular, Mr. Ealey’s family who have had to deal with the unbearable loss of their beloved family member at the tender age of 21 years old.”
According to the Howard County Police Department (HCPD), Lewis was a leader in the “59 Hoover Criminal Gang” organization. His sentencing date is scheduled for May 1, 2024, where he is facing a potential maximum sentence of life without parole plus 100 years.
Seven other gang members have already been convicted for various crimes after their pleas of guilty. Their sentences range from 4 to 18 years. Only one other defendant is awaiting sentencing.
