Prince George’s County Police made quick arrests in a Bowie murder, charging two Prince George’s men with the crime.
According to a Washington Post report, John Fitzgerald Haston, 46, and Craig Stevens Brooks, 49, entered the home of 44-year-old David Wayne Williams on July 13, posing as Pepco employees. That’s where police say they robbed and killed Williams. Both have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery.
The incident was surprising as it took place in one of the more affluent neighborhoods in the county, Fairwood. Police say that Williams was targeted by the two men, who sought to make a quick buck off of the robbery.
Williams, the owner of three Laundromats, had amassed a nice living for himself, but he had a very checkered past including a 1992 conviction on drug charges and 2007 conviction on federal counterfeit charges. Williams was placed on supervised probation for the 2007 conviction and was granted early release in February 2010.
Williams was also charged with five counts of first-degree murder and five counts of first-degree assault in 2005, but all charges were dropped.
According to reports, police say Williams’ criminal history was not involved with the incident.
Police say that at 12:46 p.m. on July 13, they received a call for a shooting. When police arrived to the 13200 block of Livingstone Endeavor Drive, they found Williams dead from the gunshot wounds.
Haston and Brooks were apprehended quickly because a neighbor allegedly saw the two men fleeing Williams’ residence and provided officers with descriptions that matched the two men.
Police used K-9 units, helicopter and foot patrol to canvass the neighborhood and soon thereafter arrested Haston.
Police say Brooks was brought in on a different warrant, but he too was eventually charged in connection with the murder.
Prince George’s County Police Chief Mark Magaw says solving this case happened so quickly because of the professionalism and hard work of the county’s police department.
“This is a text book example of the diligent work that our patrol officers and detectives perform on an everyday basis, working together quickly to solve a murder,” Magaw said in a statement. “A patrol officer was on the scene within six minutes and quickly set up a perimeter, allowing us to capture the murderer within minutes of the killing.”
Court records show Haston was in severe debt and Brooks has served time on a 1988 conviction.
