BALTIMORE — A Baltimore County man who previously struck a plea deal in the murders of a grandmother and granddaughter in Middle River was found guilty by a jury Friday for crimes committed in Baltimore City.
Bryan Cherry, 38, was found guilty of first-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon.
Court documents say Cherry's three-week violent crime spree began in Baltimore City on June 26, 2024, in the 2600 block of East Eager Street.
RELATED: Man goes on three-week crime spree leaving 3 dead in Baltimore City and County
Witnesses at the scene told police Cherry violently stabbed someone who was giving free supplies to patients at the EBMC Care Center for no apparent reason.
The victim, who survived the attack, told police at the hospital that he had never seen or spoken to Cherry before.
Charging documents say the victim suffered stab wounds throughout his body, including to the neck, both hands, rib cage and shoulder.
Following the assault, Cherry's violent spree led him to Middle River, where he murdered 29-year-old Autumn Harvey and her 75-year-old grandmother Iona Elizabeth Sellers in their bedrooms.
According to police, the murders occurred in the area of Taos Circle in Middle River.
An autopsy determined Harvey was stabbed several times to the head, neck and shoulder.
Sellers sustained blunt force trauma to her head as well.
MORE: Baltimore County man pleads guilty to murdering woman, her grandmother in Middle River
But Cherry was not done.
Just one week after the brutal murders of Harvey and Sellers, officers responded to the area of Abbott Court in Baltimore City for reports of a woman screaming.
Officers forced entry into a home and found Sierra Johnson, half-dressed and dead on a living room sofa, from blunt force trauma to the face and head.
A witness identified Cherry as the suspect, adding that he escaped through a back window just before officers entered the home.
Police tracked down Cherry in August 2024 and arrested him for Johnson's murder and the attempted murder of the man outside the clinic.
Once Baltimore County Police learned of Cherry's arrest, they served him with a warrant for the double murder of Harvey and Sellers, which he pleaded guilty to in an attempt to avoid a jury trial.
Baltimore City State's Attorney Ivan Bates said his office will seek life without the possibility of parole "because the safety of the public demands nothing less."
"Individuals who commit repeated, brutal acts of violence cannot be given another opportunity to traumatize our residents. I want to acknowledge the amazing work by BPD Homicide Detectives, as well as ASA Elizabeth Stock for her skillful prosecution of the case. We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding the most dangerous offenders accountable and ensuring they are never again in a position to inflict such devastating harm," State's Attorney Bates said.
His full statement can be read below:
Today’s verdict brings a measure of justice for Sierra Johnson and her loved ones, but it also underscores a deeply troubling reality. Bryan Cherry has demonstrated, time and again, to possess an extraordinary capacity for violence and a complete disregard for human life. This conviction, alongside his prior conviction for attempted murder in our city and his guilty plea to a double murder in Baltimore County, paints a clear and alarming picture of a defendant who poses an ongoing and severe threat to our communities.
“Our office will seek Life Without the possibility of parole at sentencing because the safety of the public demands nothing less. Individuals who commit repeated, brutal acts of violence cannot be given another opportunity to traumatize our residents. I want to acknowledge the amazing work by BPD Homicide Detectives, as well as ASA Elizabeth Stock for her skillful prosecution of the case. We remain steadfast in our commitment to holding the most dangerous offenders accountable and ensuring they are never again in a position to inflict such devastating harm.
