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Baltimore Man Convicted of Murder and Drug Trafficking
A federal jury today convicted Andre Ricardo Briscoe, a/k/a “Poo”, age 38, of Baltimore and Cambridge, Maryland, on federal drug distribution charges, use of a firearm to commit murder in relation to drug trafficking crimes, killing a witness to prevent communication with law enforcement and being a felon in possession of firearm and ammunition.
The conviction was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Special Agent in Charge Thomas J. Sobocinski of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Chief Mark K. Lewis of the Cambridge Police Department.
“This case is nothing short of tragic. A mother and her child, who was believed to be a witness, were senselessly murdered by defendant Andre Briscoe,” said U.S. Attorney Erek L. Barron. “Let this conviction serve as a message to those who would take a life that the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland will prosecute anyone who harms, or attempts to harm, witnesses.”
According to the facts proven at his 12-day trial, from March through October 2015, Briscoe conspired with others to distribute heroin. On May 25, 2015, Briscoe traveled from his home in Cambridge, Maryland, to the home of Kiara Haynes, with whom he was romantically involved. He told Haynes that he planned to steal heroin from Jennifer Jeffrey, a long-time friend of Haynes. According to trial testimony, during the course of the evening, Briscoe explained that Jeffrey had heroin and he planned to rob and kill Jeffrey to get the heroin. Haynes told Briscoe she would help him get a gun.
Haynes subsequently contacted a relative whom she knew to have a gun. The relative was incarcerated at the time. Haynes told the relative on a recorded jail line that she needed the gun so Briscoe could rob Jeffrey of her drugs. In exchange for allowing Haynes to use the gun, Haynes promised to give the inmate “like 30 [grams]” of the stolen heroin and give him the gun back. The inmate agreed to loan Haynes the gun. After the call, Haynes and the co-defendant met with the inmate’s brother, who gave Haynes a .45 caliber firearm. Briscoe and Haynes returned to Haynes’s apartment with the gun.
Later that night, Briscoe left Haynes’s apartment to go hang out with Jeffrey at Jeffrey’s nearby home. When Haynes woke up later she realized that Briscoe had not returned and got upset. Between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. Haynes walked over to Jeffrey’s home and began banging on the door and yelling for the Briscoe to come out. Jeffrey’s relative opened the door and told Haynes that children were in the house asleep and that Haynes should leave. Haynes then left and went back to her apartment. Briscoe and Jeffrey got into a confrontation in her home. Briscoe used the .45 caliber firearm to shoot and kill Jennifer Jeffrey. He also shot and killed Jeffrey’s seven-year-old child. The child was a witness to the murder of his mother.
The conviction was a result of a joint investigation by the ATF, FBI, Baltimore Police Department, and Cambridge Police Department. Briscoe faces a mandatory minimum of life in prison. Sentence to be determined by the court. Defendant was 38 years old at the time of the crime.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Violent Crime|Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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