Man pleads guilty to 2024 murders of grandmother, granddaughter in Baltimore County
A 38-year-old man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to the 2024 murders of a woman and her grandmother in Baltimore County, according to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office.
In the plea agreement, Bryan Cherry pleaded guilty to charges of first-degree murder. Prosecutors are recommending concurrent sentences of life without parole on both counts.
The sentencing date has not been scheduled.
In July 2024, 75-year-old Iona Sellers and her 29-year-old granddaughter, Autumn Harvey, were found dead in their home on Taos Circle in Middle River.
Grandmother, granddaughter found dead
Sellers and Harvey were found dead in the home after police responded to a "check location" call.
Charging documents said Autumn Harvey had numerous stab wounds to her head, shoulder, and neck. Sellers had blunt force trauma injuries.
Police said Cherry was identified as a suspect through surveillance camera footage in the neighborhood and the surrounding area.
Investigators said that while going through Sellers' phone, officers were getting notified of suspicious activity with her Wells Fargo credit card. After checking surveillance camera footage from the locations where the card was used, Cherry was identified as the same person in other footage reviewed.
DNA from a cigarette butt from the crime scene also tied Cherry to the homicides, according to charging documents.
"We're going to take this all the way and not going to stop until he's locked up for good," Autumn's cousin Devin Harney told WJZ in 2024.
Investigation of more violent crimes
Police said Cherry was arrested for a separate homicide investigation on July 14, 2024.
"Baltimore City has a separate investigation for a homicide for which he was arrested on July 14," Baltimore Police Det. Trae Corbin said. "Once we got our DNA hit, we were able to match that through the system to see this person was already incarcerated for a separate crime."
The Baltimore City Police Department confirmed the victim in the July 14, 2024, case was 38-year-old Sierra Johnson.
Police said Johnson was found dead with trauma to the head at a home in the 800 block of Abbott Court.
Police found Cherry nearby in the 1300 block of Homewood Avenue and arrested him.
Cherry was also a suspect in a stabbing on June 26, 2024. Police found a man stabbed at the East Baltimore Medical Center.
The victim told officers, "The suspect attacked him without provocation," according to charging documents.
An arrest warrant for Cherry was issued on July 1, 2024.
