In the early hours of June 4, 2001, Gregory Guy Collins, a 31-year-old male correctional officer from Vienna, Maryland, was driving home after completing his shift at the Eastern Correctional Institution. His journey was tragically cut short when he was shot and killed in what would become a cold case that haunted his family and law enforcement for nearly two decades. Collins, a three-year veteran of the Division of Correction, a member of the Maryland National Guard, and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, was reported missing by his wife when he failed to return home. A state trooper later discovered his gray Toyota pickup truck in a wooded area off Indiantown Road, where it appeared to have left the roadway. Inside, Collins was found unresponsive. He had been shot once in the back of the head, and his truck was riddled with four bullet holes.
For 18 years, the case remained unsolved, leaving the family of the married father of a five-month-old daughter without answers. However, in 2019, a breakthrough came when tips led investigators to focus on a former inmate of the Eastern Correctional Institution, John Michael Ingersoll Jr., then 46, of East New Market. A Dorchester County Grand Jury indicted Ingersoll on charges of first and second-degree murder, among other offenses. The motive for the killing was determined to be retaliation for a perceived grievance Ingersoll held against Collins from his time in prison.
In June 2021, a jury convicted Ingersoll of first and second-degree murder. Later that year, in November, he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. During the legal proceedings, it was revealed that a recorded conversation captured Ingersoll confirming he had killed Officer Collins in retaliation for something that was said while he was incarcerated. Following his sentencing, Ingersoll admitted to the murder. More than 20 years after his death, Gregory Collins was honored at a Fallen Heroes Day ceremony, recognizing his sacrifice and service.
