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Janice Martina Mason, 29, Convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter in Baltimore
Baltimore, Maryland – In a shocking turn of events, a federal jury has convicted Janice Martina Mason, 29, of Melbourne, Florida, of voluntary manslaughter for running over her girlfriend on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and leaving her to die.
The guilty verdict was announced by Erek L. Barron, United States Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Wayne Jacobs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation – Washington Field Office Criminal Division; and Chief Jessica M. E. Taylor of the U.S. Park Police.
According to the evidence presented at her eight-day trial, on the morning of November 24, 2021, U.S. Park Police officers responded to a citizen report for a body on the side of the BW Parkway northbound, north of Route 197. Officers found the victim lying face down on the shoulder of the road, with no signs of skid marks or vehicle parts at the scene.
Further investigation revealed that a cellphone belonging to the victim was found on the grass, while another cellphone with a broken screen was found in the roadway and later determined to belong to Mason. Witnesses testified that Mason advised the U.S. Park Police detective that she was visiting from Florida and was staying at her mother’s house in Washington, D.C.
Mason initially claimed that she was driving the victim and another woman home to Laurel, Maryland, in a black Nissan vehicle when the other woman started hitting her. She said she pulled over to the side of the highway and ordered them out of the car, and they walked away. However, investigators later found that Mason was actually driving a black Ford Expedition on the day of the incident, and the vehicle had visible damage to the hood, front grille, and passenger side running board.
As detailed in trial testimony, Mason had a second voluntary interview with U.S. Park Police investigators, where she acknowledged that she was driving the black Ford Expedition on the morning of November 24 and advised investigators that it was just her and the victim in the car that day. The Ford Expedition was processed and searched by the FBI’s Evidence Response Team, which found DNA from the victim on the indented hood area and impressions from the undercarriage that corresponded to the victim’s shoe.
The jury found that Mason intentionally killed the victim in the heat of passion. Mason faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for voluntary manslaughter.
Key Facts
- State: Maryland
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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