Annapolis Murder Prompts Prison Sentence For Glen Burnie Man: Officials

ANNAPOLIS, MD — The man who pleaded guilty to a 2021 murder in Annapolis was sentenced to decades in prison, prosecutors said last week.

A press release said the man, 19-year-old Israel Thompson, was handed 22 years in prison for the fatal shooting of 25-year-old Marc Hill. Thompson and Hill are both from Glen Burnie.

Thompson will not have the chance of parole for the first five years of his sentence. He will serve five years of supervised probation after his release.

"I’m relieved that the defendant is no longer on the streets and is being held accountable for his actions," Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said last Tuesday in the release. "I extend my heartfelt condolences to the loved ones of Mr Hill."

The Shooting

The Annapolis Police Department heard about the shooting in the city's Woodside Gardens community on April 3, 2021. Officers said they responded to the 700 block of Newtowne Drive and found Hill suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at the bottom of an apartment building stairwell.

The release said medics took Hill to the University of Maryland R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he succumbed to his injuries the next day.

The cause of death was ruled a homicide by gunshot wounds, officials said.

The Investigation

Detectives obtained video showing the victim arriving at the apartment building. Hill shot dice with a group for several minutes before he got in a physical fight with an unknown male, the release said.

Authorities said Hill hit the male, who then backed out of the stairwell into the yard and fired a weapon at the victim.

The suspect then stole an unoccupied Hyundai sedan that the owner left running and unlocked, the release said.

Investigators said they found several shell casings and patches of what appeared to be blood on the scene.

DNA analysis suggested that the substance was Thompson's blood, officials said. Police later found the stolen car.

Officers executed a search warrant at the home of Thompson's relative on April 11, 2021. Authorities said they found the sweatshirt that the suspect was wearing at the time of the shooting.

Lab testing suggested that the sweatshirt had particles of gunshot residue on the sleeve, the release said. Police also found the purse, wallet and identification card belonging to the owner of the stolen car.

The Arrest

The Anne Arundel County Police Department arrested Thompson on May 18, 2021, another press release said.

Prosecutors said Thompson admitted that he was in the Newtowne area at the time of the shooting, got in a fight, possessed the fired gun and fled the scene in the stolen car. Thompson denied shooting the victim, however.

The state's attorney said Thompson on April 28 pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and the use of a firearm in a crime of violence. He was sentenced on June 10.

Assistant State’s Attorney April Skrenczuk prosecuted the case. Judge Richard Trunnell presided over it.

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