WASHINGTON — Baltimore police and FBI investigators say last year’s murder of 21-year-old Marcus Edwards remains a mystery, and now a reward of up to $22,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.
Edwards was killed as he walked along a residential street near the intersection of Loch Raven Boulevard and Woodbourne Avenue in Baltimore Sept. 19, 2016. Police say the Morgan State University student was stabbed in the chest en route to his girlfriend’s house about a mile north of campus.
Authorities don’t think robbery was a motive because his wallet and cellphone were still with him after the attack.
At a Wednesday news conference, Baltimore Chief of Detectives Stanley Brandford called the crime “pure evil” and asked anyone with information to come forward so that the person responsible could be brought to justice. With the reward, $20,000 is coming from the FBI and $2,000 is coming from Baltimore.
“This is a mystery to us as to what happened and why it happened,” Chief Brandford said. “We don’t believe that Marcus was involved in anything at all other than walking to his girlfriend’s house as he normally would do.”
Edward’s mother, Nicole Ausberry-Brooks, choked back tears as she described her son and asked for the public’s help.
“Marcus is very kind, gentle, charismatic … and always smiling,” she said. “That’s why you see us with our ‘Smile For Marcus’ shirts because that’s what he always did.”
Ausberry-Brooks said her son wanted to become a police officer once he graduated from Morgan State University with his degree in social work. Edwards had already graduated from the Metropolitan Police Junior Police Academy and volunteered during the summers at the 2nd District D.C. police station. He had also completed the Future Agents Training Program at the FBI Washington Field Office.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to call the FBI at 410-265-8080 or the Baltimore Police Department at 410-396-2100. Tips can be sent by text to the Baltimore Police homicide detectives at 443-902-4824.
