Columbia Man Sentenced to Life for Murder

A Columbia man was sentenced Monday to life in prison for first-degree murder, according to the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Desmick Jermario Lewis, 24, of the 7100 block of Talisman Lane, pleaded not guilty but agreed to a statement of facts that described his role in the death of a Laurel man on Jan. 23, 2014.

Related: Columbia Man, 22, and Three Others Charged in Laurel Homicide

Lewis and three others had arranged to meet the victim—Russell “Rusty” Rowe III, 24, of Main Street in Laurel—to buy four Oxycodone pills, but they actually intended to rob him, the state’s attorney reported.

“A man lost his life over four pills…over $120,” Howard County Circuit Court Judge William V. Tucker said, referencing the street value of the drugs.

When police found the victim on Jan. 23, 2014, Rowe had been shot multiple times and his pickup truck had hit a tree in the 9400 block of Sewall Avenue in Laurel.

A witness told police he saw Rowe’s vehicle collide into the tree and saw a man with a handgun and a woman fleeing the scene, police previously reported.

Lewis was the one who pulled the trigger, according to the state’s attorney.

Rowe was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in critical condition, where he died Jan. 26, 2014, the state’s attorney reported.

Three others involved in the murder will face sentencing in January.