In a Hagerstown, Maryland hotel room, a story of a mother's love and a life reimagined for her child came to a tragic end. Elise Wars, a 40-year-old female, was discovered on November 16, 2022, the victim of a violent act that also claimed the life of her four-year-old daughter, Khori Ashton. Both had been fatally shot. For several months, the APM Inn and Suites on Dual Highway had been their home.
Friends recalled Wars as a doting mother, a woman who had reshaped her entire existence around her young daughter. She was an only child, having already endured the loss of her own parents. The devastating discovery was made by a hotel staff member, who then alerted the authorities.
The investigation into the deaths of Elise and Khori quickly pointed to a targeted and deliberate crime, according to the Hagerstown Police Department. There were no signs of a struggle or forced entry into their hotel room, leading investigators to believe they were attacked while they lay in bed. The day after the discovery, an acquaintance of Wars, 22-year-old Javon Hines, was located and apprehended in Elkridge, Maryland. Hines was subsequently charged with a litany of offenses, including first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. He was held without bond.
As the legal proceedings began, the question of Javon Hines' mental state at the time of the killings came to the forefront. Court records indicated that Hines had been seen with Wars and her daughter entering the hotel room on the evening of November 14, 2022. He was reportedly observed acting suspiciously as he entered and exited the room multiple times the following day. In May 2024, it was reported that evaluations by the Maryland Department of Health had resulted in a diagnosis of schizophrenia for Hines. While he was found competent to stand trial, the evaluations also suggested that he might not be held criminally responsible for his actions due to his mental state. A hearing was scheduled for June of that year to address a potential plea of guilty with the consideration of insanity.
