Two Pr. George's Murder Cases Dismissed

Prosecution Problems Have Caused Charges to Be Voided for at Least 4 Since May

Twice in the past week, Prince George's County judges have dismissed murder charges against defendants because of what they considered flaws in the prosecution -- the latest in a series of murder cases in recent months that have fallen apart before reaching county jurors.

Including the two most recent, at least four murder defendants in seven months have had charges dismissed by Prince George's judges or dropped by county prosecutors because of problems with state witnesses or evidence.

In this week's cases, one judge said the state failed to provide enough evidence, and another ruled that the state had failed to prove the chain of custody of the victim's body.

In May, prosecutors dropped murder charges against a defendant after authorities alleged that the state's only witness offered to testify for the defense in exchange for compensation. And in July, prosecutors abruptly dropped double murder charges in the middle of a trial after viewing police evidence that cast doubt on the veracity of the testimony of their sole witness.

Prince George's State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey (D) said yesterday that the cases didn't reach juries for different reasons. "I don't think there's really a pattern going on here," he said.

Yesterday, Circuit Court Judge Graydon S. McKee III threw out first-degree murder charges against Michael A. Drummond, 20, who was accused of fatally shooting a teenage boy in the Glenn Dale area.

After Assistant State's Attorney Fran Longwell rested the state's case, defense attorney Christopher A. Griffiths stood and asked the judge to acquit his client, citing a lack of evidence. Such motions are routine in murder trials but are rarely granted.

McKee granted the motion without asking to hear Griffiths's argument, the defense attorney said. McKee then had Drummond stand up and explained to him that under Maryland law, a defendant cannot be convicted based on the uncorroborated testimony of an accomplice, Griffiths said.

Longwell did not present any testimony or physical or circumstantial evidence to buttress the testimony of co-defendant Bryan L. Tiggle. Griffiths said Tiggle's testimony was contradicted by other state witnesses.

Tiggle, 22, of Accokeek, pleaded guilty to being an accessory after the fact and testified for the prosecution.

Longwell said she was not surprised by McKee's decision. She said she had been prepared to present a second witness to back up Tiggle, but police and state's attorney investigators could not find him. Ivey said relatives of that witness reported that he had been shot at in recent weeks.

Police had originally charged Tiggle with first-degree murder and a handgun violation. Police accused him of being one of two gunmen who shot at Ramone Paige-Weaver, 16, about 4:45 p.m. Nov. 29, 2004, near the intersection of Atwell Avenue and Deepwood Drive, according to a police charging document. Prosecutors dropped those charges when Tiggle agreed to testify against Drummond.