In the early morning hours of June 10, 2017, a knock at the door of a friend's home on Middleneck Drive in Salisbury, Maryland, irrevocably altered the course of many lives. Anthony Cropper, a 57-year-old male, was shot after answering that knock and exchanging words with several individuals. The shooting occurred just after 1 a.m., and Cropper was pronounced dead at the scene.
The events of that night were the culmination of a planned robbery.
The investigation that followed involved the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, the State Police Criminal Enforcement Division, and the Salisbury Police Department Criminal Investigation Division. Through numerous interviews and the gathering of evidence, investigators identified 20-year-old Ryan C. Holden of Salisbury as a suspect. Holden was arrested late on the night of the murder and charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. The investigation continued as police believed others were involved in the homicide.
Further investigation led to the arrests of two teenagers, 17-year-old John Schoolfield III and 18-year-old Courtlen Coston, both from Salisbury. They were charged with first and second-degree murder, among other conspiracy charges. All three suspects were held at the Wicomico County Detention Center. The case proceeded through the justice system, with John Schoolfield testifying against Holden as part of a plea deal. Courtlen Coston also entered a guilty plea. Following a two-day trial in May 2018, a Wicomico County jury convicted Ryan Holden of first-degree murder, attempted armed robbery, and handgun use in the commission of a felony. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, with an additional 10 years for the use of a handgun in a violent crime.
