MIDDLE RIVER, MD—A Middle River man has been sentenced for a 2020 murder in which he shot his victim 14 times.

Jaekwan Jacob Stephens, 25, was sentenced on Tuesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court for first-degree premeditated murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence.

In the early morning hours of August 18, 2020, officers responded to the 200-block of Garden Ridge Road in Catonsville for a report of a shooting. There, police found Charles Green, 27, on the front lawn suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

An autopsy later revealed that Green had been shot fourteen times in his torso, head, and legs. At the scene, authorities learned that a white Honda Accord had fled the scene with the individual who had committed the murder. The car was located in Baltimore City and the three occupants fled from police. One of the three was caught near the scene.

Investigators determined that Jaekwan Stephens had been in a minor dispute with the victim inside a residence on Garden Ridge Road. When Green stepped outside, Stephens shot him in the back of the head. This caused the victim to fall to the ground. Stephens then repeatedly shot Green as he stood over him. Stephens was one of the individuals who successfully fled from police on the day of the shooting. He was caught nine days later, hiding in a closet at his home.

Stephens was convicted on March 18, 2022. Judge Mickey Norman sentenced Stephens to life imprisonment for the murder and a consecutive five years’ incarceration for use of a firearm. In doing so, the judge noted that the killing was an execution.

State’s Attorney, Scott Shellenberger, noted the brutality of the killing and offered his thanks to the police “for their excellent efforts to track down the individual who chose to use a gun to settle what seemed to be a minor dispute and then bring him to justice.”

“Assistant State’s Attorney, Brian Botts, then went on to complete that effort and further my commitment to protecting the citizens of this county from senseless gun violence. Mr. Green was the father of four young children who will now not have him in their lives.”

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