On a summer evening in Owings Mills, Maryland, the life of 31-year-old Benjamin Knefel was tragically cut short. On July 3, 2020, Knefel was involved in a dispute in a parking lot on Richmar Road that ended in a fatal shooting. Responding to the call, Baltimore County Police found Knefel with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper body. Despite the efforts of medics at the scene, he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into the death of the male victim led to the identification of
three suspects. The first to be apprehended was 19-year-old Artis McDaniel III, who was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. The investigation suggested that the shooting followed a heated argument between Knefel and the suspects. It was reported that after Knefel fell to the ground, the shooter fired at him again before fleeing the scene.
Shortly after McDaniel III's arrest, two teenagers were also taken into custody in connection with the murder. Ajuan McDaniel, 17, and Avion McDaniel, 16, were both charged with first-degree murder and held without bail. The relationship between the three suspects was not immediately made clear.
Following the arrests, the case moved to the legal system. Artis McDaniel III stood trial in the Circuit Court for Baltimore County. In a turn of events, he was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and attempted use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. The specifics of the legal proceedings for the two younger suspects, Ajuan and Avion McDaniel, have not been publicly detailed.
