Former Glen Burnie Man Indicted in Cold Case Murder

An Anne Arundel County Grand Jury indicted a former Glen Burnie man last month in connection with a 2006 "cold case" murder.

William Lloyd McDonald, 31, was charged with the first-degree murder of Benjamin Curtis that occurred in August 2006, as well as other charges, according to a press release from the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's office.

The indictment occurred in mid-December but was not announced until Monday when McDonald was served, according to State's Attorney's spokeswoman Kristin Fleckenstin.

McDonald, who lived along Old Stage Road in Glen Burnie at the time of the incident, is in custody at the Maryland Division of Correction in Hagerstown for unrelated crimes that took place in Montgomery County.

“The Anne Arundel County police did a great job and never gave up on this case," State's Attorney Frank Weathersbee said in a statement. "Their efforts and hard work will, with hope, bring some comfort to the victim’s family to know that someone has been charged with this horrible crime.”

According to the release, Benjamin Curtis was sitting in his 2002 Ford Expedition with a woman in the parking lot of at about 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 12, 2006. That's when McDonald approached them and demanded Curtis's wallet and the woman's purse, according to a press release from the State's Attorney's office. Curtis handed over the items and then McDonald got into the truck, the release said.

After a period of time, Curtis reportedly got into a struggle with McDonald and was fatally shot. During the fight, the woman ran from the car and reported the crime at a security gate at Fort Meade. Curtis was taken to the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he died from his wounds.

According to the release, the gun was found in a vehicle in New Jersey in September 2006, but the occupants were cleared of any involvement in the murder. Earlier this year, police received information that gave them evidence—which was corroborated with cell phone records from the night of the shooting—to charge McDonald.

McDonald is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of armed robbery, use of a handgun in a felony and other gun charges.