Baltimore man sentenced to 35 years in murder-for-hire plot in Howard County

BALTIMORE - A Baltimore man was sentenced to 35 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot in 2020 in Howard County.

Daquante Thomas, 20, also known as "Glock," was convicted in the shooting death of 23-year-old Juan Ross.

According to a plea agreement, on October 4, 2020, Howard County Police responded to a shooting in the area of Basket Ring Road in Columbia.  

Ross was found shot and killed at the scene, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the head.  

Investigators identified Thomas as one of the shooters.  

As revealed in the guilty plea, co-conspirator 1 accused the victim, Ross, of Columbia, Maryland, of cooperating with law enforcement, including on a live social media conversation on September 9, 2020, and in text message.  

Thomas admitted that co-conspirator 1 solicited him and another conspirator to kill Ross and that he accepted payment to commit the murder. 

According to the plea agreement, on October 3, 2020, Thomas and co-conspirator 2 texted each other about the address where they could find the victim.  

The next day Thomas, co-conspirator 2 and co-conspirator 3 drove to the area of Basket Ring Road in Columbia to locate Ross, then drove to a drug store nearby so that co-conspirator 2 could purchase an Uber card and leave the area.  

A short time later, Thomas and co-conspirator 3 returned to the area of Basket Ring Road, shot and killed Ross, then drove away together. 

Two others, Jourdain Larose, a/k/a "JBlacc," age 27, of Ellicott City, and Tyrik Braxton, a/k/a "Son-Son," age 26, of Baltimore are charged with a federal murder-for-hire conspiracy, use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder-for hire, and use and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death.  

They remain in jail while they await their trial.