A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the alleged murder of his 15-year-old girlfriend and her nine-year-old brother in Baltimore, Maryland, after authorities said he previously threatened to kill the teenager if she became involved with other boys.
The suspect, Keith Maurice James Jr., is facing two counts of first-degree murder over the July 7 shooting that claimed the lives of Giovanna Myrie, 15, and her nine-year-old brother, Steve Allen. Investigators said Myrie had shared disturbing messages with a friend days before the incident, including one that read: “Keith said if I ch£at he finna put the g¥n inside me. Help me.”
According to court documents, the friend also told police that on July 4, Myrie and James were on a FaceTime call while lying in bed, during which James was allegedly seen holding a gun. On the day of the shooting, Myrie reportedly informed the same friend that James was expected to visit her home around 4 p.m.
Investigators said cellphone records and surveillance footage placed James near the victims’ home at about 4:20 p.m. Around 7:20 p.m., Myrie’s mother returned home and found both children dead from multiple gunshot wounds. Baltimore County Police Chief Robert McCullough described nine-year-old Steve Allen as an “innocent bystander.”
Police said James admitted he had been in a relationship with Myrie for about two months but claimed he had not seen her in person since July 4. He was arrested on Tuesday and appeared in court on Thursday, where his attorney waived a bond hearing.
Reacting to the case, McCullough said the tragedy highlights the growing problem of teen dating violence and juvenile crime.
“This case highlights for me a couple issues. One is juvenile violence itself, violence by juveniles on other juveniles. It’s just dating violence, teen violence between people who have relationships, so we need to be mindful of those things,” he said.
