County Crime Watch: Conviction in 2001 Murder, Trail of Violence in Landover

Capitol Heights Man’s Trail of Violence

In a single morning, a Capitol Heights man trespassed at a daycare center, beat a guard with a bat, smashed several windows, fled in an employee’s car, assaulted three officers who tried to control him, and kicked a hole in the wall while in custody, according to Prince George's County Police.

On Thursday, April 26 at approximately 10:30 a.m., 26-year old Mickel Tyrone Young is said to have entered the It’s a Family Affair daycare center in Landover and asked to use a phone. When the staff refused, he reportedly became violent.

Police said a security guard working at the daycare center went to retrieve a baseball bat and confronted Young, but Young seized the bat and assaulted the guard before leaving. Young then returned, retrieved the bat, and began breaking windows before fleeing in an employee's vehicle, authorities said.

District III patrol officers located the stolen vehicle in the area of Barlowe Road and Village Green Drive, where they apprehended Young. At the time of the arrest, Young appeared to be under the influence of a dangerous substance, police said.

The suspect was transported to the District III police station but remained violent, according to police, kicking a hole in a wall and assaulting three officers who tried to control him. He was taken to a local hospital for an emergency psychological evaluation.

The security guard, an adult male, was also transported to a hospital in stable condition. No children witnessed the incident or were harmed.

Young, of the 4000 block of Vine Street in Capitol Heights, was charged with first-degree assault, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, malicious destruction of property, and trespassing.

FBI: Stripper Flees After Murder Plot

A recent TV episode of America's Most Wanted featured a story about Prince George’s County Sheriff's Office detectives following leads and sightings of Heather Jean Johnson, an exotic dancer from Glen Burnie.

Johnson has been on the run since posting $300,000 bail on an attempted murder charge in 1999, according to the show. She was a resident of Bowie at the time of the crime.

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Heather Johnson, contact the America’s Most Wanted hotline at 1-800-CRIME-TV.

DNA Match Leads to Conviction of Upper Marlboro Man for First-Degree Murder

Billy Joe Simon has been convicted of first-degree murder 11 years after the death of Michael Anthony Neal, Prince George's County State's Attorney Angela Alsobrooks said in a statement.

Simon’s DNA was obtained after he was convicted of a crime in Washington, D.C. in 2011, according to Alsobrooks, and was later matched to the Neal case.

“Mr. Neal’s family has waited 11 long years for his killer to be brought to justice,” Alsobrooks said. “I am pleased that we have been able to bring a killer to justice and provide continued healing to the Neal family.”

On June 10, 2001 around 5 a.m., Neal was shot multiple times and died after two men wearing masks broke into his three-story townhouse, according to police. The men took a large amount of cash that Neal had hidden before fleeing.

Neal had been lying in bed with his fiancee at the time of the killing. Their one-month-old son was in a bassinet next to the bed, and their 12-year old daughter was in her bedroom on the first floor.

According to Alsobrooks, police investigations showed that Simon—a partner of the victim in the drug trade—left several small blood smears on the walls of Neal's townhome. In February 2011, county police were notified that the DNA samples matched Simon's newly-entered evidence profile in the CODIS system.

On May 5, 2011, county police charged Simon with the first-degree murder of Neal. After deliberating for 90 minutes, the jury convicted Simon of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, use of a handgun in a crime of violence, robbery with a deadly weapon, first-degree burglary, and theft.

Simon will be sentenced on June 22 and faces up to two life sentences plus 60 years in jail.