Man found guilty of killing Naval Academy mother visiting Annapolis for son's induction ceremony
BALTIMORE - An Annapolis jury found Angelo Harrod guilty of murdering Naval Academy mother Michelle Cummings.
Cummings, a mother from Texas, was struck and killed by a stray bullet in Annapolis on June 29, 2021. She was in town for her son's Naval Academy induction ceremony.
After deliberating for approximately 3.5 hours, the jury found Harrod guilty on all counts.
Harrod faced more than 10 charges, including first and second-degree murder.
"I would like to thank the team that was assembled that did their due diligence to find closure in this chapter of this process," said Leonard Cummings Jr., Michelle Cummings' husband. "When they came together and put the evidence together, and we watched it unfold in the courtroom, it was amazing that justice can be served for a senseless act on June 29 when you are just enjoying yourself and celebrating your kid."
Her son Trey Cummings is a sophomore on Navy's football team.
During the two-week trial, prosecutors Jason Steinhardt and Carolynn Grammas presented hours of testimony and called dozens of witnesses to help bolster their claim that Harrod killed Cummings while aiming for one of two other victims.
One of those people was a young lady who testified in court during the first week. She said she traveled to an Annapolis community on Pleasant Street on the night of the shooting to drop her boyfriend off.
That's when she said she heard someone say her name and was given a countdown to leave the area.
The witness said before she could leave she heard about seven shots.
Prosecutors showed picture evidence of a Chevy Trailblazer that had been shot multiple times, and they argued that a bullet traveled from that shooting scene, through trees and struck Cummings who was on a patio at an Annapolis hotel with her husband and friends.
"Just keep us in your prayers as we move forward because it is a process we have to go through, and this is one step of that process," Leonard Cummings said.
Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said the case is still open, and investigators are working to determine if there are others involved in the murder.
"There are people who have knowledge out there," Leitess said. "There are people who have evidence. As a mother myself, seeing this gun violence and not having people in the community rise up to stop it is very upsetting. There are people in the community who know more and we encourage them to come forward."
The defendant's mother, Angela Ragin, was also present in court during the trial.
Two suspects were seen on surveillance video that June night.
Ragin wants to know why her son is the only one who went on trial.
"My son is a very loving person, my son got a heart, my son would not shoot a gun and I know that," Ragin said. "My son wouldn't do that. He didn't do that."
Throughout the proceedings, Harrod's defense attorney Howard Cardin pushed witnesses on the facts of the case.
Cardin highlighted the fact that DNA testing was never done for other potential suspects.
He said his client will file a motion for a new trial.
"You never expect a guilty verdict," Cardin said. "Am I surprised, no I'm not surprised, but it was a well-tried case, I thought, and there was a good bit of evidence and we tried to refute it. As it turned out, the jury determined that he was guilty on all counts."
The prosecutors who tried the case stood next to Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Leitess, as she praised their work.
Leitess explained the legal theory that allowed her office to charge Harrod with Cummings' murder even if they believed she was not his initial target.
"Transferred intent came because he attempted to kill Breonna Barnes and RJ Atwell but instead killed Ms. Cummings, so whatever intent he had for those two victims transfers to the third victim," said Leitess.
Sentencing for the defendant will be on February 24, 2023.
The state's attorney said he faces life without the possibility of parole behind bars.
