Maryland man pleads guilty to deadly double shooting at 2020 pandemic party
BALTIMORE -- An Anne Arundel County man pleaded guilty on Monday to shooting two other men—ultimately killing one of them—at a party in Edgewood during the uptick of the COVID-19 pandemic, county authorities said on Monday.
Wilber Oswaldo Nunez-Menendez, 28, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder charges tied to a shooting that erupted at a home on Brick Church Road in Edgewater on Nov. 14, 2020, according to the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office. The shooting killed Ronal Alcids Maldonado Quijana, 52, and injured a 28-year-old man.
Nunez-Menendez attended an outdoor party that night. There was food, drinks, and a bonfire. He was the nephew of a former co-worker, county authorities said.
At one point, Nunez-Menendez got into a verbal dispute with other people at the party, whipped out a gun, and shot Maldonado Quijana along with the 28-year-old man.
A witness to the shooting was able to acquire the name and phone number of the shooter through work connections, according to county authorities.
Police were able to obtain a photograph of the suspected shooter and had Nunez-Menendez identified via a lineup.
Investigators issued a warrant for the arrest of Nunez-Menendez after he had been identified as the shooter but learned that he had fled the country, county authorities said.
Nunez-Menendez was extradited from El Salvador to Maryland by U.S. Marshals on May 11, 2023. He was then turned over to the Anne Arundel County Police, according to the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office.
County authorities say that Nunez-Menendez pleaded guilty to two counts of use of a handgun in a violent crime, too. He did this at the Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis.
Nunez-Menendez is slated to be sentenced on April 16, 2024.