BALTIMORE — Death is no stranger on the violent streets of Baltimore, but the manner of death still matters, especially after a man’s body was found burning in a vacant lot on East 20th Street on Sunday.
“I just pray to God that he was already dead when they set him on fire, because that’s some ruthless stuff to do to somebody,” one woman told us as she passed by the scene just off the alley, “That’s somebody’s son… you know what I mean? Father. Nephew. That’s somebody’s family.”
She was one of three women, who did not wish to be identified, who told us the victim’s head had been wrapped in plastic.
“No matter what a person does out here, everyone is a human being,” added one of the others.
Police have identified the victim as Bernard Stein III, but not much else is known about him or what led to his death.
Homicide detective have taken over the case, and it will be up to the Medical Examiner’s Office to try and determine his cause of death.
“I don’t care what that man did. It wasn’t worth him losing his life,” said a woman who lives in the area, “To kill somebody like that. Nobody deserves to die like that, and they gave him his death sentence already when they did it.”
If you have any information, which could help police in this case, you can call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP.
