Pasadena Man Convicted Of Killing Heroin Dealer

PASADENA, MD — A Pasadena man was found guilty Friday of second-degree murder for stabbing a woman who supplied him with drugs. While prosecutors said Joseph Patrick Soule, 28, of Pasadena, stabbed the victim more than 60 times to steal her stash of heroin, he denied the charge and his attorneys told the jury that police ignored other possible suspects Pelland interacted with.

An Anne Arundel County Circuit Court jury convicted Soule in the murder of Christie Lynn Pelland, 43, of Pasadena, who worked for Spiritual Cleaning. Her body was found at the Medical Arts Centre of Glen Burnie; Pelland cleaned several of the offices inside the building where she was found on May 12, 2014.

In the week before her death, Pelland met with Soule, who she supplied drugs in exchange for the use of his car, prosecutors said. On May 11, 2014, Soule told an associate that he was going to meet Pelland. About three hours later, at the time of the murder, cell phone tracking data places Soule in the area of Pelland, says the state's attorney's office.

Anne Arundel County Police found bloody shoeprints near the victim's body consistent with a pair of Nike Air Visi Pro IV shoes Soule stole on May 11. The shoes were never recovered. Authorities say Pelland was stabbed 66 times and cut an additional 20 times.

On May 12, surveillance video showed Soule at a Glen Burnie mall without any shoes on; he went into a store and bought a pair of Nike shoes.

His attorney, Ahmet Hisim, said in closing arguments that cellphone records did not put Soule directly at the scene of Pelland's murder. He said the blood found in Soule's car could also be explained by their heroin use, since Pelland regularly borrowed the vehicle, the Capital-Gazette reports.

"Without any eyewitnesses, this was a difficult case to prove," said Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams in a statement. "I'm thankful to police and prosecutors for their diligent work in pulling together the evidence and holding Soule accountable."

Soule faces up to 30 years in jail when he is sentenced.

Pelland was stopped by police in a traffic stop after a May 3, 2014, shooting at the Royal Farms store in Glen Burnie, but detectives had not linked her as a suspect in the shooting, police said Tuesday. Pelland was arrested as a result of the traffic stop for two outstanding warrants on a drug-related charge.

Detectives investigated both Pelland’s death and the shooting at the Royal Farms store to determine if they are related and what role, if any, the earlier crime may have played in her death.

Soule was originally charged with second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment in Pelland's death.

»Photo of Joseph Soule, courtesy of Anne Arundel County Police