Man gets life without parole in ‘axe murder’ and Baltimore jail strangulation death
BALTIMORE– A man who was awaiting trial on murder charges when he strangled his cellmate to death in a Baltimore jail was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without parole.
After Staron, 35, was charged in an apparently random stabbing, prison administrators housed him in a cell with Javarick Gantt, a deaf man facing relatively minor charges who relied on sign language to communicate. Gantt’s death in October 2022 raised major concerns about operations at the city’s detention center and its backlogged justice system, but corrections officials have declined to answer questions about cell assignments.
Staron pleaded guilty to kill Gantt, 34, after a jury convicted him in the earlier stabbing case, which prosecutors called an “ax murder.” They said Staron armed himself with an ax before driving into Baltimore from the suburbs and attacking 63-year-old Keith Bell at a bus stop. Bell was homeless and had little more than a bag of gummy bears in his possession.
During a sentencing hearing Thursday morning, Staron’s attorney described his extensive history of mental illness and substance abuse, including a long list of head injuries and psychiatric diagnoses dating back to childhood.
“I truly believe this man has serious mental health issues,” said attorney Jason Silverstein. “The only plausible explanation in my view is that there is something going on in his head that we cannot explain.”
He said that Staron seems to have a vague understanding of reality, but that he is “not a monster.” A group of other inmates had attacked him weeks before Gantt’s murder, leaving Staron seriously injured and mentally unstable as medical providers repeatedly changed his medications, Silverstein said.
Silverstein asked the judge to grant his client the possibility of parole. “I do not believe that locking up people without hope of release is ever the right outcome in any case,” he said.
But Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Althea Handy said the facts speak for themselves and paint a “picture of cruelty.” She said she read 13 letters from Staron’s family and friends that were “beautiful and moving, but do not describe the person I saw in this courtroom.”
Before sentencing Staron to life in prison without parole, the judge acknowledged the victims’ families and said, “There is nothing the court can say or do today that will provide you with any comfort.”
Gantt’s father, Rick Barry Sr., made a statement about the family’s struggle to explain what happened. He said too often their questions go unanswered.
“The system failed my son,” he said.
Their biggest question is how Gantt — a disabled man with a small build and limited means to communicate with those around him — ended up sharing a cell with a man suspected of killing someone with an axe, said attorney Andrew Slutkin , which represents Gantt’s family.
In arguing for life in prison without parole, prosecutors said Staron poses a clear danger to public safety. They cited inconsistent statements he made about the crimes and recent psychological evaluations that cast doubt on his veracity.
As Staron left the courtroom after receiving his sentence, officers led him past his parents, sister and aunt, who watched quietly from the gallery.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said his office is also investigating other cases possibly related to Staron. Bates, that personal one helped prosecute Staronsaid he hopes the verdict will bring some measure of closure to the victims’ families.
“This young man will never see the light of day again or harm anyone outside the prison walls,” Bates said.