Prosecutors will seek two sentences of life without parole for the man charged with beating his elderly grandparents to death in August in Guilford -- a crime that stunned the prosperous North Baltimore neighborhood.
City prosecutors made the announcement yesterday at a hearing in which Michael Edward Reiriz was arraigned on two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of Drs. Walter and Mary Loch.
Mr. Reiriz, whose dark hair hung well below the shoulders of his short-sleeved shirt, pleaded not guilty to the murder charges. He also pleaded not guilty to armed robbery, felony theft and several weapons charges.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Mabel E. Hubbard set his trial for Feb. 1 before Judge Clifton J. Gordy.
Defense attorney Michael E. Kaminkow said Mr. Reiriz is receiving a psychological evaluation.
"Upon its completion, we will have a better idea whether an insanity plea will be filed," Mr. Kaminkow told the judge. After the hearing, he said his client is being evaluated by a private psychologist.
The lawyer also said Mr. Reiriz, who is being held without bail to await trial, is in protective custody at the Baltimore City Detention Center because he has been threatened by other inmates. The lawyer did not know why his client was threatened.
Mr. Reiriz spoke briefly during yesterday's hearing, after Judge Hubbard asked him for his home address. In a soft voice, he gave his mother's address in Hampstead. After the hearing, which lasted less than 10 minutes, Mr. Reiriz turned to look at his mother, Helen Reiriz, daughter of the Lochs.
Walter Loch, 88, and his 81-year-old wife, were retired doctors. They were killed in their beds, police have said, and their bodies were found Aug. 14 in their home in the 200 block of Stratford Road.
According to court papers, Mr. Reiriz confessed to the killings in August. "The defendant admitted to investigators in a taped statement to beating to death both Walter and Mary Loch with a baseball bat while the victims slept in their bed," according to the papers.
Investigators say they believe that Mr. Reiriz was upset because his grandparents stopped lending him money. The grandson, who had been living in an apartment in Perry Hall, borrowed at least $1,000 and reneged on a promise to spend it on college, a police source has said.
Baltimore State's Attorney Stuart O. Simms said yesterday, "The state expects to prove at trial the guilt of [Mr. Reiriz] in brutal crimes that we believe necessitate the sanctions which we're seeking. We make that judgment based on the nature of the evidence, consultation with the families and the nature of the anticipated witness testimony."
Mr. Simms said Mr. Reiriz's lack of a criminal record was another factor considered in deciding not to pursue the death penalty.