A 22-year-old employee from an assisted living facility, accused of donning long female wigs to disguise himself and murdering an 87-year-old millionaire philanthropist he cared for nightly, is now facing charges for allegedly firing shots at a Maryland state trooper while on the run.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, the Major Crimes Division of the Montgomery County Department of Police announced the arrest of Marquis Emilio James, 22, from White Marsh, Maryland. He is charged with the Valentine’s Day murder of Robert G. Fuller Jr., an 87-year-old at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living Facility, and the subsequent shooting at a Maryland State Police trooper during a traffic stop in West Baltimore on Tuesday.
James, who had been a medication technician at the facility since October, was reportedly captured on surveillance video entering and exiting through a compromised courtyard door at the time Fuller was found shot in the head in his apartment.
According to Montgomery County Police Chief Marc Yamada, nothing appeared to have been stolen from Fuller’s residence during the incident.
Robert Fuller Jr., pictured left, speaks at the 2017 opening of the Veterans Academic Center in Augusta, Maine, a project he supported financially. (Joe Phelan/Centralmaine.com)
Investigations revealed that the alarm sensor on the door had been disabled in January, coinciding with a day when James was the sole individual observed using that specific door.
During a search, folded paper towels used to prop doors open on the day of the murder and again days later, were found by police.
Yamada said that days after Fuller’s death, James was found inside the facility after his shift ended, gave a suspicious explanation to other workers, triggered another exterior door alarm, and fled when a supervisor was going to be notified.
The door he used to exit had also been tampered with, according to authorities.
Marquis James, 22, is charged in connection to the murder and traffic stop shooting. (Montgomery County Police Department)
At about 3:30 a.m. Tuesday, a Maryland State Police trooper pulled over James’ car to conduct a traffic stop after noticing he was missing license plates.
As the trooper approached the car, James, who was driving, suddenly opened the car door and fired two shots, said Maryland State Police Lt. Col. Steve Decerbo.
The bullets narrowly missed the trooper by inches, and he only sustained minor injuries.
“Without a doubt, our Maryland State trooper escaped an outcome that could have ended much differently,” Decerbo said.
Marquis James was allegedly seen on video wearing a long wig. (Montgomery County Police Department)
James immediately drove away, and investigators later recovered a shell casing from the scene that matched ballistic evidence from Fuller’s murder, linking the two cases.
Montgomery County Police, Maryland State Police and the U.S. Marshals took James into custody Wednesday afternoon in Rockville after a brief foot chase.
James is charged in Montgomery County with first-degree murder, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
He is being held without bond, with a court hearing scheduled.
While conducting two search warrants in Baltimore County, investigators recovered “numerous” wigs and a mask, consistent with what appeared to be a disguise in surveillance footage.
Police initially said there was no clear description of the person’s gender or race, adding the suspect seen in the footage could be male or female due to the long wig.
Yamada added police “do not have a good sense of why” James allegedly shot and killed Fuller.
Police Chief Yamada did not reveal a motive for the shootings. (Montgomery County Police Department)
“Upon speaking with him, he said their relationship was very good, and he would never have hurt Mr. Fuller,” he said. “So we’re hopeful that as we get further in … we’re going to get a better sense of what was going on behind the scenes, what types of communications Marquis James had, [and] what he was searching on his electronic devices. We’re hopeful that that’s going to lead us to a better sense of why.”
Yamada would not confirm if James had a criminal record.
Maine State Rep. Bill Bridgeo, who met Fuller while working as city manager in Augusta, told NBC 4 Washington Fuller was a prominent attorney and a retired Navy Reserve officer.
Bridgeo told the local station Fuller donated millions to the community to build a new YMCA, hospital and expand a high school.
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