Man gets life without parole in ‘axe murder’ and Baltimore jail strangulation death

BALTIMORE (AP) — A man who was awaiting trial for murder when he strangled his cellmate to death in Baltimore’s jail was sentenced Thursday to life without parole.

After Staron, 35, had been charged in an apparently random stabbing attack, jail administrators housed him in a cell with Javarick Gantt, a deaf man facing relatively minor charges who relied on sign language to communicate. Gantt’s death in October 2022 raised significant concerns about operations in the city’s detention center and its backlogged court system, but corrections officials have declined to answer questions about the cell assignment.

Staron pleaded guilty to killing Gantt, 34, after a jury convicted him in the earlier stabbing case, which prosecutors called an “axe murder.” They said Staron armed himself with an axe before driving into Baltimore from the suburbs and attacking 63-year-old Keith Bell at a bus stop. Bell was homeless and had little more than a bag of gummy bears in his possession.

During a sentencing hearing Thursday morning, Staron’s attorney described his extensive history of mental illness and substance abuse, including a long list of head injuries and psychiatric diagnoses dating back to childhood.

“I truly believe this man has serious mental health issues,” defense attorney Jason Silverstein said. “The only plausible explanation in my mind is that there’s something going on in his head that we can’t explain.”

He said Staron seems to have a tenuous grasp of reality — but he’s “not some monster.” A group of other inmates had assaulted him weeks before Gantt’s murder, leaving Staron badly injured and mentally unstable as medical providers repeatedly changed his medications, Silverstein said.

Silverstein asked the judge to grant his client the possibility of parole. “I don’t believe incarcerating people with no hope of getting out is ever the proper outcome of any case,” he said.

But Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea Handy said the facts speak for themselves and present a “picture of brutality.” She said she read 13 letters submitted by Staron’s family and friends that were “beautiful, touching, but they don’t describe the person that I have seen in this courtroom.”

Before sentencing Staron to life without parole, the judge acknowledged the victims’ families, saying “there’s nothing the court can say or do today that is going to bring you any comfort.”

Gantt’s father, Rick Barry Sr., delivered a statement about the family’s struggle to explain what happened. He said their questions are too often left unanswered.

“The system has failed my son,” he said.

Their biggest question is how Gantt — a disabled man of small stature and limited means of communicating with the people around him — ended up sharing a cell with a man suspected of killing someone with an axe, said attorney Andrew Slutkin who represents Gantt’s family.

In advocating for life without parole, prosecutors said Staron poses a clear danger to public safety. They cited inconsistent statements he’d made about the crimes and recent psychological evaluations that cast doubt on his truthfulness.

As Staron left the courtroom after receiving his sentence, deputies led him past his parents, sister and aunt, who watched quietly from the gallery.

Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said his office is also investigating other cases that may be linked to Staron. Bates, who personally helped prosecute Staron, said he hopes the sentence brought some measure of closure to the victims’ families.

“This young man will never, ever see the light of day again or harm anyone outside the prison walls,” Bates said.

Lea Skene, The Associated Press