In the quiet town of Cambridge, Maryland, the life of 32-year-old Tavaar Tremonte Chester, a Black male, was abruptly cut short on the evening of October 24, 2019. That night, officers from the Cambridge Police Department responded to a call in the 800 block of Allen Street, where they discovered Chester inside a vehicle, suffering from a single gunshot wound to his lower left back.
He was rushed to the University of Maryland Shore Medical Center in Dorchester County, but he ultimately succumbed to his injury.
For more than a year and a half, the investigation into Chester's death continued, a period of uncertainty for his family and the community. Investigators diligently pursued leads until a breakthrough occurred on April 14, 2021. On that day, new information led detectives to secure an arrest warrant for 36-year-old Marcus Griffin. A search and seizure warrant was also executed at Griffin's residence in the 600 block of Carlton Court, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Following his arrest, Marcus Griffin was charged with a litany of serious offenses, including first and second-degree murder, first and second-degree assault, armed robbery, robbery, reckless endangerment, and possession of a handgun. He was subsequently held at the Dorchester County Detention Center. The arrest brought a sense of progress to a case that had remained unsolved for a significant period, offering a measure of hope for justice for Tavaar Chester and his loved ones.
