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An employee at a senior living facility in Maryland faces serious charges after allegedly disguising himself with a wig and mask to fatally shoot a resident in the head.
Maurquise Emillo James, hailing from Baltimore, was apprehended on February 24 and now stands accused of first-degree murder in the Valentine’s Day killing of philanthropist Robert Fuller Jr., as stated by the Montgomery County Department of Police. The full statement can be found here.
Emergency responders arrived at the Cogir Potomac Senior Living facility around 7:34 a.m. after receiving a call about a resident in distress, according to charging documents obtained by Oxygen. Upon arrival, they discovered Fuller unresponsive, and he was subsequently declared dead on the spot.
Robert Fuller Jr. is Shot in the Head
Investigators later determined that the 87-year-old had been shot in the head, a conclusion confirmed as a homicide by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Although no firearm was found, authorities did recover a single 9mm shell casing from the scene of the crime.
Fuller lived in the apartment with his partner, who was asleep in a different bedroom at the time. This partner, identified in the report as a witness, informed police that a medical technician, later identified as James, had visited their apartment around 8 p.m. on February 13 to administer oxycodone. James returned shortly after, asking whether the medication had “kicked in yet,” a behavior described as “very odd” in the charging documents, as it was not typical of James’s routine actions.
Fuller’s partner never heard a gunshot, per the report, despite having excellent hearing.
James later confirmed to police that he’d been in the apartment twice that night, once to administer medication to the witness and another time to administer medication to Fuller as part of his regular duties.
Video Surveillance Shows Masked Suspect with Long Hair in Robert Fuller Jr. Homicide
As the investigation continued, detectives uncovered video surveillance which showed a masked suspect approaching the facility’s door around 5:05 a.m. on Feb. 14, opening the door, which led to a stairwell, and walking inside. Approximately 12 minutes later, the same masked subject was seen leaving the door and running down the sidewalk. Investigators believed that the exterior door had likely been propped open with a folded up paper towel, found at the scene, to allow the suspect to gain entry without a key, per the charging documents.
They also discovered that at the time of the homicide, a battery had been removed from a sensor in the door, per the charging documents. The last time the sensor indicated it had been used was on Jan. 9. Surveillance footage showed that James was allegedly the last person to use the door before the sensor alarm was deactivated.
After finding the footage of the suspect fleeing the building the morning of the homicide, police released the images, showing a person with long, dark hair and wearing a “distinctive” plaid coat, to the media on Feb. 20. Authorities later concluded that James had disguised himself by wearing a wig.
“At the time, we had no idea that that was a wig,” Montgomery County police Capt. Sean Gagen explained at a Feb. 25 press conference, according to WTOP. “Some people thought that could have been a part of a disguise.”
A witness came forward two days later after recognizing James’ “unusual gait” and “unique jacket,” according to the charging documents.
Senior Living Employee Alerts Police to “Nefarious” Activity
As authorities were still piecing the case together, they received an urgent call on Feb. 23 notifying them that just before 1 a.m. an overnight employee noticed James walking out of an activity room, even though his shift had ended hours earlier, per the court records. He claimed that he was waiting for his car to warm up and left. Shortly after he left, the employee received an alert that an exterior stairwell door sensor had been activated. James denied setting off the alarm, according to the charging documents.
They later found a black napkin that had been used to prop the door open and noticed that the sensor had once again been deactivated, but by then James had left the property, authorities said in the report.
At the press conference, Gagen credited the employee with alerting authorities about James’ “odd” behavior, saying “I truly do feel that we headed something nefarious off.”
Maurquise James Allegedly Shoots at Trooper
The next day, around 3 a.m. on Feb. 24, a Maryland State Trooper pulled over a silver Infiniti sedan with no tags. During the stop, per the charging documents, the driver “matching the physical description of James” shot at the trooper.
The trooper was not seriously hurt but the driver fled the scene, police noted in the release.
A casing from the shooting was recovered and entered into a national database, linking the gun to the Fuller homicide, authorities said in the charging documents.
James was taken into custody later that day in downtown Rockville by Montgomery County Department of Police Task Force officers assigned to the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force.
Investigators later discovered multiple wigs and a mask after searching two residences where he lived, WTOP reported.
Shiera D. Goff, the director of media and public information for Montgomery County Police Department, told Oxygen that police are still trying to determine what prompted the shooting.
“At this time, we do not have a motive. During the interview with detectives, he said that he liked Mr. Fuller,” Goff said. “Nothing was taken from the apartment and there was no prior relationship.”
Before his death, Fuller was a well-known philanthropist in Maine, once donating $1.64 million for upgrades to the Cony High School’s Alumni Field complex in Augusta, according to WMTW.
James is expected to appear for a bond hearing the afternoon of Feb. 26. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney. Oxygen.com reached out to the public defender’s office, but did not receive an immediate reply.