BALTIMORE– A man has pleaded guilty to strangling his cellmate in a Baltimore jail two years ago, wrapping up the prosecution of a case that raised major questions about detention center operations and the city’s backlogged justice system.
Gordon Staron, 35, was charged with first-degree murder in the strangulation death of cellmate Javarick Gantt, a deaf man who relied on sign language to communicate. Prison officials have declined to answer questions about why Staron — already a murder suspect at the time — was placed in the same cell as Gantt, who was disabled and faced relatively minor charges.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, who announced last year that he would personally help prosecute the case surrounding Gantt’s death, said Tuesday that Staron had entered a guilty plea.
Staron was being held in another case on murder charges when he killed Gantt. A jury recently convicted him in that earlier case, in which prosecutors said Staron armed himself with an ax and stabbed a 63-year-old man to death at a bus stop in Baltimore. He will be sentenced on December 19 in both cases.
Bates previously said he would seek life without parole for Staron.
“When I campaigned for this office, I pledged to be a champion and defender of our elderly and disabled community in Baltimore, and the outcome of these cases will undoubtedly ensure that Mr. Staron never returns to the streets to commit more evil to commit acts. against vulnerable individuals,” Bates said in a statement Tuesday.
A text message seeking comment was left Wednesday with Staron’s attorney.
Gantt, 34, spent months in jail as his cases wound through an overdue legal system. His charges stemmed from a 2019 domestic dispute in which no one was seriously injured. But largely because he missed court dates and probation checks, he was ordered held without bail and remained behind bars awaiting trial.
Standing just over six feet tall and weighing about 100 pounds, Gantt was often the target of bullies. Sign language was his first language; his reading and writing skills were limited. In the weeks leading up to his death, he expressed concerns about his cellmate’s safety, loved ones said, and said he would prefer to be housed alone.
Their cell door had been locked for nearly 12 hours when Gantt was found dead around 6 a.m., court records show.
“Witnesses … reported hearing deaf-mute inmate Gantt making noises and banging on his cell door during the night,” according to charging documents.
Prosecutors have not released a motive in either murder case.