MARYLAND BRIEFING

Thursday, October 19, 2006

MONTGOMERY COUNTY

Man Pleads Guilty in Killing

A 41-year-old man pleaded guilty yesterday to first-degree murder in the slaying of an 83-year-old man he lived with in Rockville.

Kirk Wilkerson entered his plea before Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Joseph A Dugan Jr. and is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 30.

Detectives say Wilkerson stabbed and strangled William Brewer King on March 21 after the two argued over a phone bill. He then stashed the body under a pile of clothing in the laundry room and remained at the house until his arrest April 11.

-- Ernesto Londoño

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY

Police Call Death Homicide

A 52-year-old man was found shot to death in his Severna Park home, Anne Arundel County police said yesterday.

Jay Steven Fayne was found about 2:15 p.m. Tuesday by his 15-year-old son, who had been at school, police said. No weapon was found at the 508 Center Dr. residence, said Lt. David Waltemeyer, a police spokesman.

"He was shot multiple times in the upper body," Waltemeyer said. "It's clearly a homicide."

The victim's son is not a suspect, Waltemeyer said. Waltemeyer said police "have indicated just on their initial investigation they do not think this is random. They think it was targeted, but we can't discuss anything further at this point."

Fayne is the county's 13th homicide victim this year, police said.

-- Raymond McCaffrey

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY

Invasive Beetles Detected

An invasive beetle that destroys ash trees has been discovered at six sites in Prince George's County this year, Maryland officials said yesterday. At a news conference near one of the infected trees in Brandywine, they cautioned residents to follow rules aimed at containing the pest.

The emerald ash borer, native to Asia, feeds on the inner tissues of an ash tree, damaging its ability to transport nutrients and water. The beetle can be detected by the raised trails its larvae leave in a tree's bark, and by the D-shaped holes left when adult beetles emerge. The beetles were brought to Maryland in 2003 in a shipment of nursery trees from Michigan but were thought to have been eradicated here -- until more infected trees were found this summer in the Brandywine area.

To contain the beetle, authorities advised residents not to buy firewood at a great distance from where they live, not to transport firewood out of Prince George's and not to plant ash trees in the county south of Route 4. Those who believe they have found an infested tree are asked to call the Maryland Department of Agriculture at 410-841-5920.

-- David A. Fahrenthold

Calvert COUNTY

Weapons Found at School

Two 10th-graders in Calvert County were arrested Tuesday after school administrators found two knives and a handgun in a student's backpack.

Officials at Huntingtown High School called a 16-year-old student in for questioning after they became suspicious that he had a weapon, police said. The student opened his backpack to reveal two knives and a 9mm handgun, as well as several rounds of ammunition in another pouch, said Calvert County sheriff officials. He said a friend gave him the weapons at school.

Both students were charged with three counts of possession of a deadly weapon on school property. Their names were not released because of laws protecting juvenile offenders. Police would only identify the second student as a 15-year-old.

"When any type of weapon is found, we must act swiftly and severely with students who take such egregious actions," Superintendent Jack Smith and Huntingtown Principal Robert Dredger wrote in a letter to parents. "We will always advocate for the most serious consequences provided by the law."

-- Megan Greenwell