Man Pleads Guilty to Claiming Murder

A Glen Burnie man pleaded guilty Monday to charges that he lied to Anne Arundel County police, claiming he killed his great aunt to cover up for his mother.

The Capital Gazette reports 22-year-old Brandon Zachary Duncan pleaded guilty in circuit court to accessory after the fact to first-degree murder and first-degree assault in the death of Dianna Lee Fitzwater, 62. The Capital Gazette did not name the mother, as she has not been charged. Under a plea agreement, Duncan will be sentenced in October to no more than 10 years, according to the report.

A prosecutor told the paper Duncan and Fitzwater got into a fight in January that ended with him putting her in a choke hold. He went to his bedroom, and Fitzwater went to the living room, where Duncan's mother was. He left his bedroom to find his mother sitting on Fitzwater's body. Duncan and his mother disposed of a bloody pillow and financial documents that evening.

The next day, the mother called 911, claiming Fitzwater was found unresponsive, police said at the time. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, however ruled the death homicide. In an interview with police at the time, Duncan admitted to strangling his great aunt. He was then charged with first-degree murder.