Frederick, Md. (DG) – A Baltimore man will spend decades behind bars for his role in a deadly murder conspiracy in Frederick County.
In Circuit Court, Alonzo Michael Epps Jr. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the killing of 66-year-old Brice Wendell Boots of Pikesville. A judge sentenced Epps to life in prison, suspending all but 20 years, followed by five years of supervised probation upon release.
The case dates back to January 10th, 2024, when deputies responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle in a field along Crum Road in Walkersville. Inside that vehicle, investigators found Boots dead, suffering from multiple blunt and sharp force injuries. His death was later ruled a homicide.
Detectives say the investigation led them to Boots’ estranged wife, Frances Hamilton, who had been seen at his home the night before with two men—later identified as Epps and Keon Wilson-Hawkins. Evidence showed Boots had been assaulted and abducted from his home before being killed.
Cell phone data and DNA evidence tied Wilson-Hawkins to the crime scene. He was convicted at trial and is now serving life with 85 years. Hamilton died by suicide before she could be arrested.
Prosecutors say Epps knowingly took part in the initial assault and helped carry out the plan, bringing some measure of accountability in a case that devastated Boots’ family and community.
By: Dianah Gibson
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