On the evening of February 17, 2022, a report of a shooting sent officers from the Rockville City Police Department and Montgomery County Police to the area of 14000 Cove Lane in Rockville, Maryland. At the intersection of Bradley Avenue and Fletcher Place, they discovered 22-year-old Jose Osvaldo Genao Romero, a male, suffering from a gunshot wound. First responders provided life-saving measures until he could be transported to a nearby hospital.
Despite their efforts, Romero succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into the homicide revealed a story of a drug deal that had taken a violent turn. Detectives learned that two men had picked up Romero from his home before driving him to the location where he was ultimately found. A nearby surveillance camera captured the brutal attack on video. The footage showed the driver and a front-seat passenger pulling the back-seat passenger, Romero, out of the vehicle and leaving him on the roadway before speeding off. After being shot, Romero managed to walk about 50 feet before he collapsed.
Within days, detectives from the Montgomery County Police Major Crimes Division identified two suspects from Silver Spring: Jackson Alexander Garcia, then 18, and Malik Dujuan Jefferson, then 23. Both men were arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The investigation determined that the motive behind the killing was a robbery during a marijuana deal that had gone wrong.
Both suspects faced the justice system for their roles in the death of Jose Osvaldo Genao Romero. In July 2023, a jury convicted Jackson Garcia of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, armed robbery, and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. He was later sentenced to 60 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised probation upon his release. In January 2024, Malik Dujuan Jefferson was convicted by a jury of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and robbery. He received a sentence of 55 years in prison.
