Ananias Jolley was 17 years old when he was stabbed inside a classroom at Renaissance Academy, a public high school in the 1300 block of McCulloh Street in Baltimore, on Tuesday, November 24, 2015. He survived for almost a month before he died at Shock Trauma on Sunday, December 20, 2015. The Baltimore Police Department investigated, and the Baltimore Sun's homicide database lists his death as a homicide.
Police said he was stabbed multiple times in the chest and arms by a schoolmate
during a fight in a biology lab. Witnesses later said the fight "started quickly and ended in seconds." The day after the attack, his brother told WBAL that he had stitches in his heart. "Right now, he's responding. He can hear you," his brother said. But at 7:45 p.m. on December 20, police said, Ananias died from his injuries. As for motive, authorities said only that it stemmed from some sort of feud between the boys.
"It's an absolute tragedy. We lost one young man to a murder and another young man to the system," Baltimore Police media director T.J. Smith said. He also told WJZ, "It's a tragedy anytime we have someone killed in an act of violence, even more so when it's a child." Grief counselors were sent to the school, and WBAL was told that Ananias was a boy "whose last name mirrored his personality." A Renaissance staff member, Hallie Atwater, said, "It's definitely a somber atmosphere, but there's also a lot of love going on up there, too." Months later, tributes to him still covered the school's walls, and students wore T-shirts reading "Graduate for Jolley."
A fellow student was arrested and charged as an adult, first with attempted murder and later with first- and second-degree murder. At trial in September 2016, both sides agreed that the defendant had stabbed Ananias, but the defense argued that the student had been bullied and acted in self-defense or by accident. The prosecutor told jurors that testimony showed Ananias had only called him names. On September 30, 2016, a jury returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges.
Renaissance Academy is a small high school in West Baltimore, on McCulloh Street. WBAL described it as a school that "takes in students who have been expelled and looking for a second chance."
After the unrest of 2015, Baltimore recorded more than 300 homicides a year for eight straight years, and the share of killings that ended in an arrest fell sharply.
No conviction connected to the death of Ananias Jolley could be found in news archives or public records; the only person charged was acquitted. More than ten years later, there is no public sign that anyone has been held responsible. Anyone who was at Renaissance Academy in November 2015, or who knows more about the conflict that ended in that biology lab, may still hold information worth sharing. Even a small detail, such as a name overheard, a vehicle seen nearby or a conversation remembered, can help detectives move a case forward. Anyone with information can call Baltimore Police homicide detectives at 410-396-2100, or leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland at 1-866-7LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587).
