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

Police have charged a Columbia man and three others in the killing of a Laurel man who was found shot in a truck on Sewall Avenue in Laurel.

Howard County police say they believe the case was drug related. Police found Russell Elbert Rowe, 24, of Laurel, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in the driver seat of a pickup truck that had crashed into a tree on Seawall Avenue. Rowe was transported to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he died on Jan. 26.

Desmick Jermario Lewis, 22, of the 7100 block of Talisman Lane in Columbia faces the most serious charge of first-degree murder. Lewis is being held at the Howard County Detention Center on no bond.

The other three suspects, Amanda Nicole McAdoo, 18, of Laurel, Lauren Elizabeth Maready, 18, of Highland, and Taylor King Pepe, 19, of Laurel, have all been charged with second-degree attempted murder. The attempted murder charge for the other three is expected to be modified to second-degree murder, according to police.

All four have been charged with assault and handgun violations as well.

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.

Inside Rowe's vehicle, police found a bag containing Oxycodone, a painkiller, and his cell phone. On the phone they saw recent text messages from one of the suspects arranging a meeting to buy drugs from Rowe, police reported. Police said investigators believe the suspects planned to rob Rowe.

Police released mugshots of Lewis and Pepe, but said mugshots of McAdoo and Maready weren't immediately available as they are being extradited from Pennsylvania.