Baltimore man pleads guilty to killing boyfriend, hiding body in Leakin Park
A Baltimore man has pleaded guilty to stabbing his boyfriend to death in January and then dumping his body in Leakin Park, the State's Attorney for Baltimore City announced Thursday.
Eric Jones, Jr. pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and disposing of human remains to conceal a crime in the killing of 33-year-old Dashond Johnson.
Jones faces a maximum sentence of life, suspending all but 50 years, at a sentencing hearing set for Jan. 8, 2027.
In January, CBS New Baltimore spoke with a roommate who lived with Jones and Johnson about the case. The roommate, Sam Buckner, said he had lived with Jones for weeks after the murder without knowing his terrible secret.
State's Attorney Ivan J. Bates issued a statement about the case Thursday, which was prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorney Erin Godwin.
"Intimate partner violence is an issue that can impact anyone, regardless of background, and its consequences can be devastating and deadly," Bates said.
"The horrific circumstances surrounding Mr. Johnson's death are heartbreaking for his family and loved ones, who are now left to grieve a life taken at the hands of someone he trusted and loved," he added. "While nothing can undo their loss, I hope this plea spares them the additional trauma of a trial while ensuring that justice is delivered on Mr. Johnson's behalf."
How the crime unfolded
Baltimore police officers were called to 24 S. Bernice St. on Jan. 19 for a report of a missing person who family members identified as Dashond Johnson. At the time, Johnson had not been seen in over two weeks.
Officers learned that Johnson and Jones resided at the address together.
The investigation revealed that the two men had argued on the night of Jan. 2. One was heard outside their residence screaming, "Oh my God, Oh my God" multiple times while stumbling out from a building, clutching his chest.
Police said he then collapsed between two parked vehicles and became silent before a second man exited the front door of the residence, observed the collapsed man, then retrieved a folding-type cart from the front yard, and placed the unresponsive man into the cart.
The investigation also revealed the second man went back inside the residence, then exited in different clothes, and wheeled the cart containing the unresponsive man down the street toward the alley. The next morning, the same man was seen scrubbing the front steps and sidewalk area.
Detectives were able to obtain and execute a search warrant for 24 S. Bernice St. and found that multiple areas within the residence exhibited positive reactions with luminol, which is consistent with the presence of blood or cleaned blood stains.
The confession
Police say Jones admitted that he became involved in a physical altercation with the victim and stabbed him multiple times. He further admitted that he placed Johnson's body into a wagon, covered it with a suitcase, and transported the body to Leakin Park, where he disposed of the remains and covered them with stones.
"Jones guided detectives to the exact location where the body was concealed in the water of Gwynn's Falls in a wooded area near the 2800 block of W. Baltimore St. in Leakin Park," the State's Attorney said.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later found that the victim's body had 15 sharp-force injuries.
