Department of Justice

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Daquante Thomas, a/k/a “Glock,” age 19, of Baltimore, Maryland; Jourdain Larose, a/k/a “JBlacc,” age 26, of Ellicott City, Maryland, and Tyrik Braxton, a/k/a “Son-Son,” age 25, of Baltimore, Maryland, for 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. The indictment was returned on December 15, 2021. The defendants are expected to have initial appearances at a later date in U.S. District Court in Baltimore.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Acting Special Agent in Charge LC. Cheeks, Jr. of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Chief Lisa Myers of the Howard County Police Department; and Howard County State’s Attorney Rich Gibson

According to the indictment, Larose was a member of the Crips street gang and trafficked in controlled substances. As detailed in the indictment, Larose accused Juan Ross, age 23, of Columbia, Maryland, of cooperating with law enforcement, including on a live social media conversation on September 9, 2020, and in text message. Juan Ross was arrested on drug and weapon charges on September 5, 2020, but was released on bail after being interviewed by police. On October 4, 2020, Juan Ross was shot and killed in the area of Basket Ring Road in Columbia, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the head.

The five-count indictment alleges that Larose solicited others to kill Juan Ross and that Thomas and Braxton accepted payment from Larose to commit the murder. As detailed in the indictment, the defendants allegedly used interstate commerce facilities, specifically cellular telephones and a vehicle, in the commission of the murder-for-hire.

Larose allegedly provided a gun to a conspirator on September 12, 2020, for the purpose of killing John Ross. Prior to October 4, 2020, when the conspirator had not committed the murder yet, the indictment alleges that Larose solicited Braxton to commit the murder instead. Braxton then allegedly enlisted Thomas and Conspirator 2 to kill Juan Ross for Larose.

According to the indictment, on October 4, 2020, after text messaging each other about the address where they could find the victim, Braxton, Thomas, and Conspirator 2 drove to the area of Basket Ring Court in Columbia to locate Juan Ross, then drove to a drug store nearby. A short time later, Thomas and Conspirator returned to the area of Basket Ring Court, shot and killed Juan Ross and drove away together.

A few hours later, Braxton allegedly texted Larose that he had something important to discuss, and Larose told Braxton to Facetime him. As detailed in the indictment, on October 7, 2020, Braxton texted Larose, “It’s going to be hot as sh** out here” to which Larose responded, “It already is bro.”

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison for use and discharge of a firearm resulting in death, for the murder-for-hire conspiracy, and for use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after taking into account the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

United States Attorney Erek L. Barron commended the ATF, the Howard County Police Department, and the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation and prosecution and thanked the FBI, the Maryland State Police, the Anne Arundel County Police Department, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore Police Department for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kim Y. Oldham and Lindsey N. McCulley, who are prosecuting the case.

For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psnexile and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.