In the early hours of a November morning in Baltimore, a simple stop for milk and cookies turned into a tragedy that would deeply wound a community. Alexander 'Albo' Wroblewski, a 41-year-old man known for his warm heart and love for his Locust Point neighborhood, had just finished his shift as a bartender at The Rowhouse Grille. Shortly after 1 a.m. on November 14, 2017, he made a quick visit to a Royal Farms on Lawrence Street.
It was there, in an act of senseless violence, that his life was cut short. Wroblewski was shot in the stomach during what police would later describe as an attempted robbery. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries, leaving behind a legion of friends and a devastated family who remembered him as the 'Mayor of Smalltimore' for his ability to connect with everyone he met.
The investigation into Alexander Wroblewski's murder quickly moved beyond the city limits. Within days, law enforcement officials had identified three individuals connected to the fatal shooting. The suspects had fled Maryland, but their freedom was short-lived. They were tracked to Atlanta, Georgia, and apprehended. The three individuals taken into custody were Tonya Arnita Hayes, then 37, her boyfriend Marquese Winston, 23, and her son, Tivontre Mouzon. They were extradited back to Baltimore to face charges for their roles in the death of a beloved community member. The charges against them were serious, including first-degree murder, reflecting the gravity of their alleged actions that night at the Royal Farms.
The legal proceedings that followed brought a measure of justice for Alexander Wroblewski's loved ones, though the process was arduous. Tivontre Mouzon, Hayes' son, accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery. As part of his agreement, he agreed to testify against his mother and her boyfriend. Tonya Arnita Hayes was ultimately convicted on handgun charges. The man identified as the shooter, Marquese Winston, was convicted of second-degree murder in April 2019 and sentenced to a forty-year prison term. His conviction, however, was later reversed by The Maryland Court of Special Appeals in 2020, granting him a new trial. In October 2022, Winston pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and a gun-related charge, receiving a 20-year prison sentence, bringing a final, albeit painful, chapter to a close for a community still mourning the loss of a man who was so much more than a victim of a violent crime.
