WASHINGTON — Montgomery County Police have arrested a man and charged him with the murder of 30-year-old Maurice Cortez Mercer, who was shot to death in his Germantown home on Jan. 3.
A key piece of evidence discovered by investigators was a brown bag from McDonald’s, that the murder weapon was allegedly concealed in.
WTOP has learned Quinnton Eric Brown, 31, of Columbia, Maryland, is charged with first degree murder in Mercer’s death.
In January, officers found Mercer dead inside his home after responding to a call for a suspicious situation.
An autopsy confirmed Mercer died of a gunshot wound.
According to an arrest warrant, a McDonalds bag with two large holes in it was discovered near Mercer’s feet at the crime scene.
During the investigation, an unidentified informant told detectives that a person he or she knew as “Quinnton” had been in an argument with Mercer.
In the warrant, a detective said friends of Mercer’s said they believed Brown was responsible for Mercer’s death.
The detective said recent testing determined Brown’s fingerprints were on the outside of the McDonalds bag Maryland court records show Brown was on probation at the time he allegedly killed Mercer.
In 2012, Brown was sentenced to five years in prison and three years probation for kidnapping and use of a handgun during a violent crime.
