In the pre-dawn hours of November 1, 2019, the life of 40-year-old Joshua Dwayne Crouse was cut short in a fatal shooting in Edgewood, Maryland. Harford County Sheriff's deputies on foot patrol in the Edgewater Village area heard a single gunshot around 3:19 a.m. near Grempler Way and Brookside Drive. Responding to the sound, they discovered Crouse in the roadway of the 1800 block of Grempler Way with a gunshot wound to his upper torso.
Despite immediate life-saving efforts by the deputies and responding medics from the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company, Crouse succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene at 3:50 a.m.
The investigation into Crouse's death quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but a targeted incident. The tragic event unfolded after Crouse had arranged to purchase a controlled dangerous substance from Anthony Martin, Jr., who was 16 years old at the time. The two met at a Shell Station in Edgewood before proceeding to Grempler Way. During their meeting, Martin, armed with an AR-15 firearm, attempted to rob Crouse of his money and shot him in the torso. Witnesses at the scene provided a description of the suspect, and surveillance video from the gas station corroborated their accounts, leading investigators to identify Martin.
Following an extensive search, Anthony Martin, Jr. was arrested in February 2020 and charged with Joshua Crouse's murder. On July 23, 2021, Martin, then 18, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the Circuit Court for Harford County. The following month, on August 23, 2021, he was sentenced for his crime. The court sentenced Martin to life in prison, with all but 40 years of the sentence suspended. His incarceration will be followed by five years of probation. The victim's family was present at the sentencing, where they shared statements about the profound impact of their loss on their lives and the community.
