Following a shooting death near Aberdeen last month, three homicides remain under active investigation without any arrests by the Harford County Sheriff's Office from this year and last.
A fourth unsolved murder, from 2013, has moved to inactive status after the person who was charged with the crime was acquitted in court early last year.
One of the active cases is the shooting death of a man during what investigators say was a robbery in his northern Harford home last August. The other is a fatal shooting in Edgewood last June.
"As in any jurisdiction, there are cases that are still open, and if any evidence comes forward that could help us close those cases, we will look into that," Sheriff's Office spokesperson Kyle Andersen said Thursday.
Regarding whether a case is more difficult to solve as more time goes by, Andersen said: "It all depends on what evidence we're able to gather at the time of the incident and what evidence comes to light in the future."
The Sheriff's Office has not made any arrests or charged anyone with the June 25, 2014 shooting death of Delmonta Deemonyae Leon Young, 19, of Edgewood.
Deputies found Mr. Young suffering from gunshot wounds in the 400 block of Meadowood Drive in Edgewood. He was pronounced dead at University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air at 10:35 p.m., about an hour after dispatchers received a call about shots being fired, the Sheriff's Office reported at the time.
Detectives also are still investigating the August 2014 murder of Thomas Anderson, 38, of Street, and the March 21 death of Richard Anthony Jackson, 26, who lived in Edgewood and was found fatally shot in a Perryman apartment complex.
"The Harford County Sheriff's Office sympathizes with the families of these victims and are eager to bring those responsible to justice," Andersen said. "Detectives with the Criminal Investigation Division continue to aggressively investigate these active cases."
Residents of Street and Darlington were left on edge after Mr. Anderson was shot inside his home in the 1200 block of Trappe Road in Street, on Aug. 4, 2014, in what investigators said was a robbery.
Some of his relatives also were in the home when Mr. Anderson was shot but were not injured.
Based on interviews with those in the home, the Sheriff's Office reported three black men, who covered parts of their faces, went into Mr. Anderson's home around 1 a.m. the day of the murder. The victim was shot when he struggled with the robbers, police said.
The most recent murder without an arrest was on March 21, when Mr. Jackson, an Edgewood resident, was found shot to death in the Perrywood Gardens Apartments in the 300 block of Mayberry Drive in Perryman.
Deputies responded to a call regarding shots fired around 3 a.m. and found Mr. Jackson in a common area of one of the apartment buildings, where he was pronounced dead.
Mr. Jackson had survived being stabbed Feb. 12. He was acquitted in Harford County Circuit Court the day before his death on charges of burglary, theft and vandalism stemming from a January 2014 case, according to court records.
"For all these cases, anyone with tips is encouraged to contact Metro Crimestoppers by texting MCS, then the information, to 'CRIMES' (274637) or [by] calling 1-866-7LOCKUP," Andersen said. "If the information provided leads to the arrest and indictment of the individuals responsible for the crime, then the person may be eligible for a cash reward up to $2,000."
He said investigators assigned to all three cases declined to talk about them because they are still under active investigation.
Mr. Jackson's death is the second murder investigated by the Sheriff's Office this year. Two people have been arrested in the Jan. 4 stabbing death of Edward W. Hayden III, 28, of Abingdon.
Mr. Hayden's body was found the next morning in the waters off Susquehanna State Park near Havre de Grace, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
Alexander William Smoot, 28, of Forest Hill, and Sean Thomas Turkot, 28, who was a roommate of Mr. Hayden and Mr. Hayden's girlfriend in Abingdon, were charged with the murder.
Turkot has been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He is being held in the Harford County jail without bail, according to online court records.
Smoot is facing the same charges and he is also being held in the county jail without bail, according to court records. Both men have trial dates tentatively set for August.
Case closed, but no justice
Even though no one has been convicted, the Sheriff's Office considers the Jan. 31, 2013 murder of 17-year-old Michael Kearins, of Edgewood, technically closed because an arrest was made, according to Andersen.
Mr. Kearins was shot while on Cunion Field in Edgewood, as was another man, Christopher Cousins, who was 19 and survived the shooting.
Garfield Smith III, now 23, was charged with the murder of Mr. Kearins and attempted murder of Cousins. He was tried and acquitted by a Harford Circuit Court jury in February 2014. During the trial, Smith's public defenders aggressively attacked DNA evidence and informant testimony and other aspects of the prosecution's case.
"Our investigators are confident that Garfield Smith was the perpetrator, and the jury came to another decision," Andersen said.
Harford County prosecutors alleged Smith shot Cousins and Mr. Kearins as revenge for shooting at a house he was in on Candlewood Court in Edgewood 10 days before the murder.
Andersen noted that "in the criminal justice system, Smith cannot be tried again in the homicide of Michael Kearins as that would represent double jeopardy."
"If evidence were to come forward pointing to another perpetrator, we would always at least look into it," he said.
Andersen reiterated that the Sheriff's Office would do the same for any type of case if new information came up.