Man Pleads Guilty In Woman's Fatal Shooting In Front Of Daughter at Harford County Home

EDGEWOOD, MD — An Edgewood man has pleaded guilty to a domestic violence murder from December 2022 that was caught on tape.

On Dec. 20, 2022, Jamar Deverick Wise, 43, was arguing with Kisha Blackwell, 46, in the front yard of her home on Majesty Lane. She had a protective order against Wise that he was violating. Blackwell's 15-year-old daughter called 911 for help. During that call, gunshots were heard and the teen told 911 that her mother had been shot by Wise and was laying in the driveway of the home.

According to the Harford County State's Attorney's Office, the teen identified Wise as the shooter while on the phone with 911 and a neighbor filmed the entire incident on its cell phone. Blackwell's two foster children also were home at the time of the shooting.

When Harford County sheriff's deputies arrived, they discovered that Wise had fled the scene in a rented vehicle. He was apprehended in Pennsylvania Dec. 22, 2022. At that time, he was still in possession of the stolen firearm used to shoot the victim who had been placed on life support after the brutal attack. She succumbed to her injuries the following day and her cause of death was ruled a homicide.

On Feb. 16, Wise pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. The plea agreement included an agreed sentence range of life suspend all but 80 years to life without parole. His sentencing has been set for May 10.

"As a long time domestic violence prosecutor and supervisor, this may be one of the worst cases of domestic violence I have ever seen or prosecuted. Nothing will bring back their mother or change the fact that their lives were forever altered by the events that they witnessed on that December day, but it is my hope that this resolution will bring the victim’s children some peace in knowing that the person responsible for this horrific murder will spend the rest of his life in prison," said State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey. "I commend these children for their bravery and thank the entire family for their willingness to work with our office to bring this case to a close. I also am grateful for good people in our community, like the independent witness who was able to document this tragic event on video, for their courage in doing the right thing. We are hopeful that we will bring justice to this victim’s family on May 10 and that the court will impose the life without parole sentence that we will be seeking."