Long Reach Murder Suspect Pleads Guilty

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — The man charged in the September 2016 death of a Columbia man pleaded guilty to first-degree murder this week. Joseph P. Loverde, 29, entered the guilty plea the day the his trial was to begin, according to a statement from the Howard County State's Attorney's Office.

Loverde admitted to first-degree murder Monday at Howard County Circuit Court in Ellicott City. Prosecutors say they plan to recommend a life sentence with all but 50 years suspended.

According to the state's attorney, Loverde of Pasadena admitted to the murder of a Columbia man at a condo in the 8700 block of Hayshed Lane.

Martin Edward Mullineaux, 62, was found deceased on Sept. 13, 2016, after his manager at Green Valley Marketplace reported he had not come to work in two days, officials said.

When authorities went to Mullineaux's condo, they said they found him motionless on his bedroom floor, with evidence of blunt force trauma. He had "scores of stab wounds" on his body, according to the state's attorney, who reported there were no signs of forced entry at the residence on Hayshed Lane.

• Suspect Charged in Long Reach Murder

According to police, Mullineaux had allowed Loverde to stay with him in the past.

As investigators worked on the homicide case, police said Loverde bought things with Mullineaux's credit cards, transactions captured on video; he used the victim's cell phone in the days after the murder; and he was driving Mullineaux's Kia Sorento, which was missing when the body was found.

Detectives took Loverde into custody in the 500 block of North Crain Highway, where he was walking around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2016, police reported. The vehicle was found in a nearby Glen Burnie parking lot, officials said.

Loverde entered the guilty plea on the first day of jury selection in what officials anticipated would have been a two-week trial.

Next, he will appear for sentencing on Jan. 17, 2018, at Howard County Circuit Court, where Judge William V. Tucker will preside.

Booking photo of Joseph Loverde courtesy of the Howard County Police Department.