LA PLATA — A Charles County jury deadlocked on second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder charges against Anthony Dangelo Wilkins, prompting Circuit Court Judge Monise A. Stephenson to declare a mistrial May 13 after an eight-day retrial.
The jury convicted Wilkins on three counts of reckless endangerment, wear, carry and transport of a handgun upon his person, and possession of a firearm with a prior felony conviction. He faces up to 33 years in prison on the convicted counts. Sentencing has not been scheduled.
A new trial date for the remaining charges has been set for Dec. 14.
The case stems from a Feb. 4, 2017, shooting outside Beer 4 U Bar in the 2100 block of Crain Highway in Waldorf. Officers responded to a report of a shooting and found multiple victims, including Miaquita Gray, 26, of Lexington Park, who suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body and was pronounced dead at the hospital. A second victim sustained head injuries from an earlier assault, and two others were struck by gunfire but sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
A preliminary investigation showed that moments before the shooting, Victim 1 was assaulted and robbed by three male suspects in the bar’s bathroom. After the assault, Victim 1 and his girlfriend, Gray, exited the bar and stood in the parking lot. The suspects left the bar shortly before them. Victim 1 recognized the three men and pointed them out. One suspect, alleged to be Wilkins, brandished a handgun and fired at Victim 1 and Gray, fatally striking Gray.
Wilkins was identified as the shooter; co-defendant Charles Leon Thompson Jr. was identified as an accomplice to the shooting and the armed robbery. Thompson pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2017, and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Wilkins was previously convicted by a Charles County jury on July 27, 2021, of second-degree murder, attempted second-degree murder, three counts of reckless endangerment and the firearm charges. He was sentenced to 70 years. That conviction was overturned on appeal after the Appellate Court of Maryland ruled that too much evidence was admitted regarding Wilkins’ possession of the murder weapon eight days later during his arrest in Emporia, Virginia.
The State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County is proceeding with the remaining charges.
The investigation was conducted by the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.
