Jarrettsville Man Charged With Murder

TOWSON, MD — A Jarrettsville man has been charged in the death of a missing Baltimore County woman, according to police. Authorities allege he owed the victim a large sum of money.

Kenneth Kyle Quick Jr., 44, of the 1300 block of Knopp Road in Jarrettsville, has been charged with first-degree murder, police reported on Monday.

Police said that Quick had stayed at the victim's home multiple times recently and owed her a large amount of money, which she had told her friends just before she disappeared that she planned to collect.

Quick allegedly stole $30,000 from the victim, for whom he had occasionally done odd jobs around the house, according to Officer Jennifer Peach.

Her friends reported her missing on Thursday, according to the Baltimore County Police Department.

Athena "Tina" Dardamanis, 63, was found deceased in her home in the 8600 block of Trumps Mill Road, where authorities said they executed a search warrant after detectives determined there were suspicious factors surrounding her disappearance.

"It was not normal for the victim to be away from home as long as she had been; she had dogs that were left uncared for, which was out of character; and [her] roommate knew that the suspect owed her money," Peach told Patch regarding the factors that caused concern.

Dardamanis's roommate looked for but did not find his roommate, Peach said; he is not suspected of having any involvement in the murder, she added.

The body was hidden in the home and found by police when they conducted a thorough search, Peach said.

An autopsy on Friday revealed Dardamanis died from multiple traumatic injuries to the upper body, police said.

Dardamanis appeared to have been strangled or asphyxiated, according to WBAL, which reported the body was located in the basement.

Quick was arrested on Friday and is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center. He is slated to appear for a preliminary hearing on Oct. 20 in Baltimore County District Court.

According to court records, the murder occurred Wednesday.

Photo of Kenneth Quick Jr. courtesy of the Baltimore County Police Department.