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Deaven Cherry, Murder, Baltimore MD, 2023
Baltimore, MD – Deaven Cherry, 35, of Baltimore, Maryland, will spend the next 21 years in federal prison for his role in a brutal racketeering conspiracy that culminated in the cold-blooded murder of a rival gang member. U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III handed down the sentence today, followed by five years of supervised release. The case exposes the relentless cycle of violence plaguing the streets of Baltimore and the ruthless tactics employed by the Hillside gang.
Federal prosecutors detailed how Cherry was deeply embedded within Hillside, a criminal enterprise operating in the Cherry Hill neighborhood. The gang’s primary business? Pushing poison – powder and crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, and marijuana – throughout the area and into the wider city. The profits weren’t for living; they were fuel for a bloody arms race, buying firearms used to protect their territory and silence their enemies. Hillside wasn’t just dealing drugs; they were waging war.
The indictment revealed a long-standing and vicious feud between Hillside and rival gangs, including Up Da Hill (“UDH”) and the Lakebrook Circle Boys. This wasn’t petty squabbling; it was a systematic campaign of violence. Members routinely targeted rivals for murder and other violent acts, carving out territories with bullets and bloodshed. Cherry wasn’t a bystander. He actively participated in the conspiracy, and on May 22, 2010, he pulled the trigger, executing a UDH member in the 2900 block of Denham Circle.
Ballistic evidence doesn’t lie. The 9mm semi-automatic pistol Cherry wielded that day was directly linked to the murder. And it wasn’t just this single act of violence. Prosecutors presented evidence indicating Cherry knew Hillside was responsible for distributing staggering quantities of narcotics – between one and three kilograms of heroin, five to fifteen kilograms of cocaine, and 280 to 840 grams of crack, along with marijuana and oxycodone. This wasn’t just street-level dealing; it was a large-scale operation fueled by desperation and greed.
Cherry and his co-defendant, Travis Alewine, attempted to evade justice, becoming fugitives after the indictment. Alewine was apprehended in 2019, while Cherry remained on the run until 2020. Their flight couldn’t shield them from accountability. Nineteen other Hillside co-defendants have already pleaded guilty, receiving sentences of up to 23 years in federal prison. Alewine is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, 2023. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a federal initiative aimed at reducing violent crime and gun violence.
The investigation was a collaborative effort led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division, alongside the Baltimore Police Department and the Baltimore County Police Department. The message is clear: federal and local authorities are working together to dismantle these criminal organizations and bring those responsible for violence to justice, even if it takes years to close the net. But the question remains: how many more lives will be lost before the streets of Baltimore are truly safe?
Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Organized Crime|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Press Release
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