In the early morning hours of Thursday, September 27, 2018, the life of 18-year-old Danielle Valerie Gunson was tragically cut short. The female teen from Owings, Maryland, found herself in the company of Terence John Caruso Jr. and a 25-year-old man named Liam Cameron Penn. The group was traveling together when Penn pulled his vehicle off the road in a secluded area near Saint Stephens Church Road and Johns Hopkins Road in Crownsville.
It was there that he opened fire, shooting both Gunson and Caruso.
Later that day, at approximately 12:45 p.m., a wounded Terence Caruso was discovered in Gambrills on Johns Hopkins Road and rushed to a local hospital with injuries he was expected to survive. Meanwhile, Danielle Gunson had been reported missing by her family that evening. The search for her came to a devastating end the following morning, Friday, September 28, when her body was found in a wooded area in the 100 block of Riverside Road in Baltimore. An autopsy would later reveal she had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. Investigators believe that after the shooting, Penn left Caruso for dead in Crownsville and transported Gunson's body to Baltimore in an attempt to conceal the crime.
The investigation, a joint effort between the Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City Homicide Units, quickly connected the murder of Danielle Gunson to the attempted murder of Terence Caruso. Detectives identified Liam Cameron Penn, of Woodstock, as the primary suspect. The evidence gathered, including witness statements and forensic and digital evidence, pointed to Penn as the perpetrator in what police described as a targeted attack, not a random act of violence. One witness reportedly told law enforcement that Penn had confessed to the murder and the shooting.
On Monday, October 29, 2018, an arrest warrant was issued for Liam Penn. In the early hours of the following day, a coordinated effort by the Baltimore, Howard, and Anne Arundel County Police Departments led to his apprehension without incident in Woodstock. Penn was subsequently charged with a host of crimes, including first-degree murder for the death of Danielle Gunson, attempted first-degree murder for the shooting of Terence Caruso, and multiple firearm-related offenses. He was held without bond pending a trial.
