Man Convicted After Shooting Girlfriend's Child's Dad Riding A Motorcycle, Causing Crash

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A jury has convicted a man who shot the father of his girlfriend's child, causing him to crash his motorcycle and die.

Christopher Cross, 47, was involved with the mother of Brian Akinfe's child. According to court documents, the parents were involved in a child custody dispute. On Sept. 2, 2023, Cross was driving a BMW and chased Akinfe, who was on a motorcycle, and shot him. Akinfe lost control of his motorcycle and crashed. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Text messages were recovered from Akinfe's phone that had been exchanged with Cross that indicated a "tumultuous" relationship between the two men.

The investigation showed that Cross had photographed Akinfe riding his motorcycle minutes before he was shot and killed. Cross sent it to his girlfriend then told her to delete the photo, the prosecution said.

"This is a sad case. A man is dead and a child is left without a father," said State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy. "That's unacceptable. People must learn how to resolve issues and live in peace. During the trial, we presented strong evidence and as a result, the jury found Mr. Cross guilty and he will now be held accountable for his reckless actions."