Employee at senior living facility charged in death of 87-year-old man, attempted murder of Maryland State Police trooper
An employee at the Cogir of Potomac senior living facility is charged with first-degree murder in the death of 87-year-old Robert Fuller Jr., who was found dead in his apartment on Feb. 14, with a gunshot wound to his head.
In addition, Maurquise Emillo James, 22, of Baltimore, is charged with the attempted first-degree murder of a Maryland State Police trooper and other charges stemming from a Tuesday traffic stop.
Additional charges against James include felony assault and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
A source told WTOP that James is charged in the death of Fuller, a millionaire philanthropist. Fuller, a former lawyer, had helped establish a transitional housing facility in Maine for women who are veterans.
At this moment, the motive of the killing is unclear.
Maryland State Police said a trooper attempted to pull over James’ 2009 Infiniti G37 on Tuesday. At a stop sign, as the trooper approached the driver’s side of the vehicle, police said James opened his door and fired two shots at the trooper, before taking off.
Police said the trooper didn’t return fire. He was treated for his injuries and later released from the hospital.
Last Friday, Montgomery County police released video footage of a suspect — a person wearing dark-colored pants and what appears to be a plaid black-and-white top on the video.
But the person is only captured from behind, so police said they couldn’t make out the person’s gender and race.
It’s not clear whether the person in the video is James.
When Fuller was killed, Montgomery County police were called to the senior living facility in the 10800 block of Potomac Tennis Lane at around 7:30 a.m. on Valentine’s Day.
At a 3 p.m. news conference, Wednesday, representatives of Maryland State Police, Montgomery County police, and the Montgomery County’s State’s Attorney’s Office are expected to share details about the investigation.
This story is developing and will be updated. Check back for updates.