On a spring afternoon in Salisbury, Maryland, a dispute over a mere $30 escalated into a fatal encounter that ended the life of 32-year-old Wyatt Fitzgerald. The incident unfolded on Friday, April 21, 2017, on the 900 block of Booth Street. Fitzgerald had gone to the residence where Brian Lamar Watkins lived with his mother, confronting her about the alleged debt.
This led to a heated argument, during which Watkins produced a handgun and fired at Fitzgerald.
Wicomico County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a call for shots fired just after 1 p.m. and discovered Fitzgerald on the ground, unresponsive and struggling to breathe. He had sustained a single gunshot wound to the chest. Emergency services transported him to Peninsula Regional Medical Center, but his injury proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced dead a short time later.
The investigation quickly pointed to 23-year-old Brian Lamar Watkins as the primary suspect. Investigators tracked him to a location in Howard County, where he was arrested the following Wednesday. Watkins faced a litany of charges, including first and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and several firearms offenses.
Ultimately, Watkins chose to enter an Alford plea, pleading guilty to second-degree murder. This type of plea allows a defendant to maintain their innocence while acknowledging that the prosecution has enough evidence to likely secure a conviction. A Wicomico County Circuit Court judge sentenced Watkins to 25 years in prison for his role in the death of Wyatt Fitzgerald.
