WALKERSVILLE, Md. — We're learning the tragic details of how a 66-year-old Pikesville man ended up dead inside an abandoned vehicle in Frederick County.
According to prosecutors, Brice Wendell Boots was going through a "contentious divorce" with his estranged wife, Frances Virginia Hamilton.
Online court records show Boots filed for absolute divorce back in August 2022, with the two finally agreeing to settlement terms last month.
At the time of his death, Boots was under a protective order banning him from contacting Hamilton through January 2025.
On January 10 the Frederick County Sheriff's Office was called to a field on Crum Road, for a suspicious vehicle parked with its flashers on.
The car reportedly had blood on it, and was sitting there for several hours.
Deputies discovered Boots murdered inside the vehicle, which he was the registered owner of.
Detectives ended up going to Pikesville to retrace his steps.
Neighbors told investigators that Hamilton and her nephew, Keon Wilson Hawkins, were at Boots' home the night before his body was found.
A search of Boots' house revealed a struggle took place the night of January 9.
Surveillance footage from a nearby business confirmed neighbor accounts, as Hawkins and Hamilton were seen driving together towards Boots' home.
Cell phone tower records show Hawkins and Hamilton were at the home through the wee hours of January 10.
Police say cell records indicate Wilson-Hawkins "forcibly abducted" Boots from his home, before leaving him for dead in the field.
Wilson Hawkins and Boots were tracked leaving the home at 4:37 that morning, and arriving at the field around 6:20am.
By 6:30am, records suggest Wilson-Hawkins went back home alone.
Investigators tried unsuccessfully to get in touch with Hamilton. On February 24, she was found dead in Anne Arundel County. Detectives suspect she took her own life.
On March 8 a Frederick grand jury indicted Wilson-Hawkins on charges of first degree murder, kidnapping and carjacking.
He was arrested in West Baltimore two days later. Online court records show Wilson-Hawkins was previously convicted of illegally possessing a firearm back in September 2022. He was sentenced to a year-and-a-half behind bars.
RELATED: Man's body found in abandoned vehicle in Frederick County
“This very disturbing murder has been a non-stop priority for our agency since it occurred in early January. This crime is another example of individuals from outside of this county committing violent crimes locally and somehow believing their crimes won’t be solved,” said FCSO Sheriff Chuck Jenkins. “Our detectives have gone above and beyond to pull the facts and evidence together and build the case for indictment and prosecution, and successfully and without incident arrested Wilson-Hawkins this morning.”
