In the early morning hours of January 12, 2016, a violent home invasion in Waldorf, Maryland, ended the life of 34-year-old Michael Keith Beers. Two masked men, armed with a gun, forced their way into a residence on Terrace Drive where Beers was visiting. The intruders demanded money and, during the ensuing confrontation, shot Beers multiple times before fleeing the scene. When Charles County Sheriff's deputies arrived, they found Beers deceased inside the home.
Another man who was present managed to escape by jumping through a window, while two women, including one who knew the victim, were also in the house but were physically unharmed.
Investigators quickly determined the attack was not a random act of violence but that Beers had been specifically targeted. The investigation into his death soon unraveled a plot of betrayal and greed. It was revealed that a woman inside the house at the time of the home invasion, Rena Cassandra Crandell, had orchestrated the robbery. Crandell, who was romantically involved with both Beers and one of the gunmen, Reigel Paul Wamack, had set up the robbery that ultimately led to Beers's murder. After the shooting, she fled with the two assailants.
By April 2016, detectives had made their first arrests in the case, taking Rena Cassandra Crandell and Reigel Paul Wamack into custody. The investigation continued, and in June of the following year, the remaining two suspects were apprehended. The second gunman was identified as Bryan Javier Aquice, and the driver of the getaway vehicle was named as Christian Humberto Alvarez. With these final arrests, all four individuals believed to be responsible for the death of Michael Keith Beers were in custody. In May 2018, Rena Cassandra Crandell was sentenced for her role in the crime, receiving a sentence of 15 years in prison with an additional 20 years suspended for first-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit armed robbery. Her plea agreement included the condition that she would testify truthfully against her co-defendants.
