In the early morning hours of September 20, 2014, the life of 20-year-old Jonathan Michael Watkins of Windsor Mill, MD, was tragically cut short. Police responded to a call at 2:06 a.m. and discovered Watkins's body at the intersection of Lantern Hill Drive and Sedgemoor Road in Lochearn. He was suffering from severe trauma and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
An autopsy later determined that the cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head.
The investigation into the death of the young male involved a key witness, Aaron Battle, a long-time friend of Watkins. Battle, who had been staying with Watkins after being ejected from his own mother's home, recounted the events leading up to the fatal shooting. The two had spent the previous day together and, on the night of the incident, were on the corner of Sedgemoor and Marston with the intent to rob people.
According to Battle's testimony, at approximately 1:15 a.m., three men walked by them. Later, around 2:00 a.m., a bluish Nissan passed by, and a man wearing a blueish-gray jacket approached Watkins from behind and shot him once in the back of the head. The shooter then fled in the Nissan. Battle attempted to wake his friend before running to a nearby gas station to call for help, but the attendant would not let him use the phone. He then went to his mother's house, and together they informed Watkins's mother before going to the police station.
The investigation led to the arrest of Charles William Jones. In a trial that concluded in February 2016, a jury convicted Jones of first-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and possession of a regulated firearm by a person under the age of 21. He was subsequently sentenced to life in prison with all but 45 years suspended. During the trial, witness Aaron Battle was unable to identify Jones as the shooter.
