Teen charged with beating man to death

A 15-year-old Glen Burnie High School student was charged Friday with beating a man to death with a Louisville Slugger late last month.

Christian John Schellenschlager of St. James Drive was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and reckless endangerment. The high school sophomore is being held without bond at Jennifer Road Detention Center in Parole.

Police said Mr. Schellenschlager struck Mr. Myers in the head with the bat during a fight at St. James and Nottingham drives. Mr. Myers, of no fixed address, died of his injuries Wednesday, becoming the third homicide in the county this year.

Officers found Mr. Myers at about 5:10 p.m. with life-threatening head injuries, and a black-and-green Louisville slugger nearby, said Sgt. John Gilmer, a county police spokesman. Mr. Myers told county firefighters at the scene that he'd been struck in the head with the bat, he said.

He was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, where he died about two weeks later.

Witnesses at the scene last month identified Mr. Schellenschlager as the attacker, police said. Acquaintances of the teen also told police about conversations they'd had with him after the assault.

Police said a group of teenagers and Mr. Myers were arguing before the attack, Sgt. Gilmer said. He said Mr. Myers has family that lives on St. James Drive.

During the fight, Mr. Schellenschlager left the group and came back with a baseball bat, police said.

The teen hid the bat and snuck up behind Mr. Myers, police said. When the man wasn't looking, Mr. Schellenschlager hit him over the head with the weapon and ran away, police said.

On Thursday, the Medical Examiner in Baltimore conducted an autopsy and found Mr. Myers died of blunt-force trauma with complications from the assault. He ruled the death a homicide.

The next day, police issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Schellenschlager. He was arrested without incident that night, police said.

This is the third homicide in the county this year. On Feb. 20, the body of Frank R. Jones, 38, of Tyler Avenue in Annapolis, was found on the side of Brick Church Road in Davidsonville. He had been shot to death. That case remains unsolved.

And on Jan. 10, 27-year-old Derrin Davon Thomas of Baltimore was found dead in a Ford pickup moments after gunshots were heard in the 7700 block of Rotherham Drive in Hanover. Marvin Craig Little was charged in connection with the killing Jan. 18.

There have been six homicides in Annapolis this year.

Anyone with information about the most recent incident is asked to call Detective Brian Carney at 410-222-3458.