John Woo Young Jang, a 66-year-old Asian man, was working as a clerk at the Food Zone convenience store on Livingston Road in Fort Washington, Maryland, on the afternoon of Monday, January 18, 2021. In what started as an attempted armed robbery, the situation escalated, and Mr. Jang was tragically shot and killed inside the business. When police officers responded to a report of a robbery at approximately 1:00 p.m., they discovered him suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The violent end to Mr. Jang's life was not an isolated incident but rather the culmination of a crime spree that spanned across Maryland and Virginia. An investigation into his murder led detectives to identify four suspects: Quasean Reeves, 27; Andron Wood, 37; Keionta Hagens, 40; and Thaddeus Lamont Wills, 47. All four men, residents of Waldorf, were subsequently charged with first-degree murder and other related offenses in connection with the death of Mr. Jang. The investigation revealed that the suspects were involved in a series of armed robberies of commercial businesses and carjackings between November 2020 and January 2021.
The legal process for the four suspects has seen significant developments. Following their arrests, a court commissioner ordered Reeves and Wood to be held without bond. Wills and Hagens were also held on a no-bond status. In a federal trial, a jury found Thaddeus Lamont Wills and Keionta Shawn Hagens guilty of a range of charges, including interference with interstate commerce by robbery, using a firearm during a crime of violence, carjacking, and murder. As a result, Thaddeus Lamont Wills was sentenced to 55 years in federal prison for his role in the crime spree that ended with the death of Mr. Jang. Keionta Hagens received a sentence of 18 years in federal prison. The other two co-conspirators, Quasean Reeves and Andron Wood, entered guilty pleas and are scheduled to be sentenced in January of 2026.
