Homeless Baltimore man pleads guilty in fatal stabbing

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A 27-year-old homeless Baltimore man pleaded guilty to murder and burglary at a hearing Friday moments before his trial was to begin, the Baltimore state's attorney's office announced. According to police, Matthew Hooper broke into the Northwest Baltimore home of Daniel Hoeck, 62, a Vietnam veteran who had earned two Purple Hearts, and fatally stabbed him. Hooper will serve between 30 and 50 years of a life sentence for the crimes, according to the plea agreement. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 12.

- Tricia Bishop

2 Md. gang leaders guilty of racketeering

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A federal jury convicted two Maryland gang leaders, one of whom produced the infamous "Stop Snitching" videos, of racketeering Thursday, after two days of deliberation. Sherman Pride, 35, of Salisbury and Ronnie Thomas, 36, of Baltimore face a maximum of 20 years in prison on the racketeering charge. Pride could get a life term for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Prosecutors said the men were members of the Bloods' violent Tree Top Piru group, which sold drugs across the state. Pride led a TTP set on the Eastern Shore, and Thomas was a gang leader in Maryland, according to the U.S. attorney's office. Thomas produced two "Stop Snitching" videos, which encourage retaliation against anyone who cooperatates with police. Eight others connected to the videos have been convicted in federal court. Five other defendants charged with gang racketeering are expected to go on trial in March.

- Tricia Bishop

Water main break leaves buildings without service

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A 12-inch water main at Eutaw and Franklin streets broke Friday evening, causing buildings to lose water and icing streets, according to a spokesman for the Baltimore Department of Public Works. A contractor was laying a new section of pipe when the break occurred, said Kurt Kocher, the spokesman. As of 10 p.m., between 15 and 20 buildings in the area - which stretched from just north of Franklin to Park Avenue on the east, Paca Street on the west and Saratoga Street on the south - were without water, and crews had shut down traffic in the area, he said. The light rail along Howard Street was also shut down. The contractor was on the scene working on repairs, Kocher said, but he had no estimate of when water service would be restored.