Appeal of sentence is denied
A Columbia man who was sent to prison for 60 years after being convicted in 2004 of second-degree murder and physically abusing his then-2-year-old stepson was denied an appeal to have his sentence reduced. Marcus Owens, then 33, was found guilty in June 2004 of killing Kevonte Davis and received the maximum sentence - 30 years for murder and 30 for abuse leading to the child's death - from Howard County Circuit Judge Diane O. Leasure, who also presided over the reconsideration hearing. A doctor and state medical examiner compared the child's injuries at the time to those suffered by someone who had been involved in a serious car crash or had fallen from a tall building. Owens will be eligible for parole after serving 15 years of the murder sentence.
- Don Markus
Man charged with child abuse
An Essex man was arrested Tuesday on child sexual abuse and pornography charges after a contractor doing work on the 55-year-old's home inadvertently found explicit content on his computer, according to Baltimore County police. William Neill Davis of the 500 block of Chalcot Square was being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center in lieu of $250,000 bail on charges including possession of child pornography, sexual abuse of a minor, and third- and fourth-degree sex offenses, police said. Davis confessed to molesting a girl over an eight-year period, starting in 1998 when the child was 5 years old, according to police. The girl was a neighbor of Davis' who also attended his church, Rosedale Community Evangelical Congregational Church in the 7900 block of Redmore Road, police said. The contractor contacted detectives Monday after Davis allowed him to use his laptop and the man found child pornography on the computer, according to police. Police said they were concerned about the possibility of other victims because of Davis' volunteer activities with children. Anyone who knows of a child who has had contact with him was asked to contact the Crimes Against Children Unit by calling 410-853-3650.
- Baltimore Sun staff
