Crime & Safety
Murder Suspect Graham Denied Bond; Prosecutors Say He Admitted To Crime
The 17-year-old accused of fatally stabbing Patrick Ward did not complete ninth grade, a public defender said.
In Harford County District Court on Monday, prosecutors said the a admitted to the crime just after police found bloody clothing and a weapon outside his apartment last week.
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Donnell Graham of the 200 block of Fairwood Road appeared mostly stoic throughout the hearing with his head resting on his right hand, which had a tattoo on the back of it. His public defender, Marcus Jenkins, asked Judge Mimi Cooper to set a bond and allow Graham to be transferred to a juvenile facility.
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. He is being held at the Harford County Detention Center on charges that he murdered 29-year-old Patrick Xavier Ward.
Deputy state’s attorney Scott Lewis said Graham had “four prior contacts with the juvenile justice system,” most recently in western Maryland, where he was released from Backbone Mountain Youth Center May 2. The facility is in Swanton, about 25 miles southwest of Frostburg.
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Lewis said Graham was being held there for a probation violation.
The deputy state’s attorney added that Graham admitted to killing Ward when the suspect was arrested at his home Friday, about 100 yards from where the murder took place. Lewis said police found a pair of bloody pants and a knife outside Graham’s apartment.
Graham has been charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure. Charging documents state that Graham could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder, but Cooper said Monday the suspect would face the death penalty.
deputies are investigating the murder.
Graham’s mother, Denise, who was crying and shaking as her son appeared on closed circuit television, declined to comment after the proceedings.
Graham has lived in Harford County for two years and was pursuing his GED, said Jenkins, who added that Graham did not complete ninth grade.
A small group of people who identified themselves as Ward’s friends and neighbors were also in court Monday. They said a candlelight vigil will be held in the 900 block of Redfield Road, where Ward lived, at 8 p.m. Friday.
is scheduled for Tuesday from 3–5 p.m. and 7–9 p.m. at . 10 a.m. Wednesday at .
