TOWSON, Md. (AP) — A Parkville man was convicted of second-degree murder by a Baltimore County jury in the deadly beating of a 91-year-old man in 2021. Jurors deliberated for more than five hours before finding Gary Warren Parrish II, 40, guilty of second-degree murder on Tuesday. Parrish was acquitted of first-degree murder, a more serious charge carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The victim, Norman Albert Sr., was found dead in his Perry Hall home on Aug. 19, 2021, after Baltimore County firefighters responded to a call from his son asking for help getting into the locked home on Hines Road. Investigators found bloody footprints on the kitchen floor and a matching shoe impression on Albert Sr.’s chest. Baltimore County police arrested Parrish in December 2021 after his mother reported that her son, who was in a relationship with Albert Sr., used drugs and went through her prescriptions and belongings.
During the five-day trial, the focus was on a pair of shoes police found in Parrish’s apartment, which were tested for blood and DNA. Assistant State’s Attorney Daniel Trimble emphasized Albert’s age in his closing argument, stating that Albert had received multiple blows to his head and body. Trimble showed jurors images from the autopsy and described how the impact had bruised Albert’s brain and broken his ribs and back.
Prosecutors argued that the shoes were worn by Parrish during the beating and that forensic testing and expert testimony showed Albert’s blood was found on the shoes. The defense challenged the conclusiveness of the testing, arguing that others, including another man who did odd jobs for Albert, could have worn the same shoes. One juror acknowledged doubts about Parrish’s guilt due to DNA testing finding other “minor contributors” of biological material on the shoes, but the jury ultimately agreed on a second-degree murder conviction.
Sentencing for Parrish is scheduled for Feb. 12. The maximum sentence for second-degree murder is 40 years in prison. A small memorial was placed on a Perry Hall home’s mailbox after 91-year-old Norman Albert was found dead inside in August 2021.
