Murder Charges Filed Against Man Who Assaulted Senior Citizen: Prince George's Police

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — The man charged with assaulting a senior citizen in Beltsville in early June has now been charged with his murder. The victim, 87-year-old Johnny Lee Shepherd of Beltsville, died of his injuries July 28. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner recently ruled his death a homicide.

On June 2 at approximately 7:30 p.m., the Prince George's County Police Department was notified of an assault in a residential parking lot in the 11300 block of Cherry Hill Road. The assault was captured on surveillance video. On the video, 25-yera-old Julias Wright of Fort Washington can be seen repeatedly hitting Shepherd, who suffered critical injuries, the police department noted.

Shortly after the assault, the PGPD arrested Wright. Wright was initially charged with first- and second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. Charges were upgraded to murder following the Shepherd's death and in consultation with the State’s Attorney’s Office.

On Sept. 9, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled the cause of death as complications of blunt force head injuries and the manner of death a homicide. The preliminary investigation suggests the assault stemmed from a dispute over car damage.