The Killing Fields

Stephen Pitcairn had just gotten back to Baltimore on Sunday night after a trip to New York. After leaving Penn Station, Stephan had a short walk back to his apartment in Charles Village. To keep him company on the walk home, he decided to call his mother in Florida. It was a late night in Baltimore and his mother always made him feel a bit safer. They chatted about Stephen’s recent visit with his sisters in New York.

The conversation was abruptly interrupted when Stephen was approached by two thugs. They demanded his wallet. Stephen offered it to them but they assaulted him anyway. Stephen called out for help. During the struggle, one of the thugs stabbed Stephen. A nearby resident finally heard the commotion and came out. The thugs ran off and left Stephen bleeding on the street. While waiting for the medics to arrive, the only thing the resident could do was to try and comfort Stephen during his final moments. At the very least, he wouldn't have to die alone on a deserted city street.

Horrified, still on the other end of the phone in Florida, Stephen’s mom was forced to listen as her son became the latest murder victim in Baltimore.

John and Lavelva Wagner are the low life scumbags who were arrested for this crime. Not surpring, both are no strangers to the criminal justice (or should I say injustice!) system. John has a history of violent crimes. Nothing big, just things like robbery with a deadly weapon, choking his girlfriend unconscious, etc.

Most recently, Wagner was given an eight year (suspended) prison sentence for a 2008 first degree assault. He actually only “served” three years supervised probation for this crime. He was also picked up three times for violation of that probation. In one event, they even had him on video tape robbing a gas station! And still, this waste of human flesh was turned back out to the streets.

Mild by comparison, Lavelva’s criminal history includes multiple drug arrests.

Shortly after the murder, it was reported that these two fine individuals were boasting about robbing and hurting a “white boy”.  Hmmm, do you think that this one will be pursued as a hate crime?

In a city which averages about a murder a day, Baltimore is sometimes called The City That Bleeds. This latest incident certainly helps to support that claim.

On a personal note, over the past several years, my parents have had three murders within several yards of their home. Most recently, a pregnant woman was shot. She survived but her baby died. Yep, you guessed it, they live in Baltimore. And, because killings are so common in the city, they seldom even make the front page news!

So, why do the judges in Baltimore continuously let violent criminals out on the streets to commit these crimes? Do they always have to kill someone before they’re given a lengthy prison sentence? The rap sheets are usually a mile long on the murderers. So, why aren’t these animals behind bars before they kill innocent people?

The judge responsible for letting John Wagner out on the streets (after the multiple probation violations) was John Howard. He will surely have some serious explaining to do. I wonder how he would feel if it was one of his family members who happened to cross paths with John Wagner. Maybe he should explain to the parents of Stephen Pitcairn why he felt that Wagner wasn’t a threat to society.

As a result, a productive member of our society dies in the street while two worthless criminals get to live. Where is the justice in that??

Cops in Baltimore will tell you that they’re frustrated. They arrest the thugs and, before the paperwork is even done, they’re returned to the streets by the court system. Yeah, we hear all of the excuses and false promises by the politicians. But in reality, nothing is being done about it. Is there any doubt why people are fleeing Baltimore City for the suburbs?

It's simply not safe anymore. And too many innocent people are paying the price.

Stephen Pitcairn was researcher for Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He was involved in breast cancer research and ironically, wound care research. He had dreams of becoming a doctor. He was a productive citizen who was making a difference in the world. His life was senselessly cut short two days before his twenty-fourth birthday by two low-life career criminals.

Stephen’s parents said farewell to their son today. The great things he could have accomplished will forever remain a mystery. My heart goes out to the family. The criminal justice system of Baltimore failed them miserably……..

KW