2 men charged with 7 Baltimore area homicides in gang case

BALTIMORE– Two men have been indicted by a Baltimore grand jury and charged with killing at least seven people as suspected gang hitmen, officials announced Tuesday.

Cornell Moore and Keith Russell, both 38, are accused of stealing cars and using those vehicles to carry out shootings, including a 2022 double murder of a man and his pregnant fiancée, prosecutors said. She died, but police say doctors were able to deliver the baby.

They have also been accused of three non-fatal shootings and a string of carjackings starting in 2020.

“This case represents the devastating impact that a small number of violent perpetrators can have on our communities,” Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said at a news conference Tuesday. He called it one of his office’s most significant prosecutions since he was elected and sworn in as the city’s top prosecutor early last year.

Bates said the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are expected as law enforcement tries to take down a massive criminal enterprise. His office worked with Baltimore police and federal agents to build their case.

Bates described Moore and Russell as hitmen who took orders from other gang members. Bates declined to name the gang.

Attorneys representing Moore and Russell are not yet listed in online court records for this case. Emails seeking comment were sent to attorneys representing the men in separate pending cases in Baltimore County.

Bates said members of the gang were compensated for committing acts of violence to further the organization’s mission and remove threats from rival groups. He said one of the seven homicides occurred in Baltimore County.

“The cold and calculated nature of the alleged actions and these charges must have swift and serious consequences,” he said. “These charges are the first steps toward achieving that.”