IJAMSVILLE MAN SENTENCED IN 2020 CHILD ABUSE CASE

/in /by

FREDERICK, MD – This morning in Frederick County Circuit Court, David Glenn Hunley, age 33, of Ijamsville, MD was sentenced by Judge Julie Stevenson Solt to a total of forty years suspend all but fifteen years of active incarceration. Hunley must also serve five years of supervised probation following his release from the Division of Corrections. The State had requested that the defendant receive a top-of-the-guidelines sentence of twenty-five years in prison. Hunley entered an Alford plea to charges of 1st and 2nd degree child abuse on October 19, 2021. An Alford plea is a type of guilty plea whereby the defendant does not admit guilt but acknowledges that evidence presented by the prosecution would be likely to persuade a judge or jury to find the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

On January 6, 2020, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office deputies along with Emergency Medical Services personnel were dispatched to a residence in the 10500 block of Cook Brothers Road in Ijamsville for the report of an infant in cardiac arrest. The defendant made a call to 911 stating that he found his infant son “pale and blue” and began performing CPR. The infant was initially transported by ambulance to Frederick Health Hospital and later by helicopter to Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. Through extensive investigation, consultation with treating physicians and interviews, detectives determined that the infant’s injuries were consistent with physical abuse, including severe head trauma. Investigators believe that the child sustained broken ribs from abuse on a date prior to January 6th. The charges of 2nd degree child abuse stem from that incident. The defendant was the only person with care and custody of the infant during the timeline in which these injuries occurred. “This was no accident.  He deserved a substantial sentence for what was done to this child”, said State’s Attorney Charlie Smith. Doctors believe the child will continue to suffer serious developmental issues as the result of his injuries. At the age of two, he is still unable to walk, unable to eat whole food, and suffers from frequent seizures.

 

The State was represented by Assistant State’s Attorneys Tammy Leache and Lindsey Carpenter.

David Glenn Hunley

Frederick Man Enters Guilty Plea, Sentenced For 2019 Murder

/in /by

FREDERICK, MD –This morning in Frederick County Circuit Court, Ryan David Bretzfelder, age 46, of Frederick, entered a guilty plea to first-degree murder and was sentenced in the May 2019 death of Devon Jamel Wallace. In a binding plea agreement reached between the State, Defense and Judge, Judge Julia A. Martz-Fisher sentenced Bretzfelder to life suspend all but fifty (50) years in the Division of Corrections. Upon release from incarceration, Bretzfelder must serve five years of supervised probation including all standard conditions, education, evaluation, and testing for substance abuse, abstain from alcohol and controlled dangerous substances and abusive use and illegal possession of prescription drugs, random drug and alcohol testing, mental health evaluation and any treatment as directed, have no contact with the victim’s family and stay away from their residences and places of employment, and undergo GPS monitoring. The binding nature of the plea agreement means that the sentence can not be modified unless all parties agree.

 

On the morning of May 2, 2019, deputies with the Jefferson County, WV Sheriff’s Office located the body of 24-year-old Virginia resident Devon Jamel Wallace in a field near the 4300 block of Summit Point Road near Charles Town, WV. Investigators immediately started working to identify the man, the circumstances of his death, and how his body ended up in that location. Once detectives identified Wallace, they discovered that he had used a cellular messaging application via a WiFi connection registered to the defendant’s address on Wilcox Court in Frederick. The investigation also revealed that a female named Samantha Guthrie was in a relationship with Mr. Wallace, and on the evening of May 1, 2019, the two, along with Ms. Guthrie’s toddler, traveled to Frederick to visit her friend, Ryan Bretzfelder.

 

Detectives learned that on the evening of May 1st while at the home on Wilcox Court, Guthrie and Wallace began to argue and the argument started to become physical. Mr. Bretzfelder, who had known Ms. Guthrie for years, then attacked Mr. Wallace. Mr. Bretzfelder subsequently admitted to police that “he snapped” and beat Wallace with a BBQ grill brush, his fists, and then finally struck the victim multiple times in the head with a large rock from the backyard. Later that night, Bretzfelder and Guthrie traveled to West Virginia and disposed of Wallace’s body. The autopsy conducted by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in West Virginia concluded that Mr. Wallace died of multiple skull fractures.

 

 

Ms. Guthrie previously plead guilty to being an accessory after the fact to first degree murder.

 

Several members of the victim’s family attended the plea and sentencing. Ms. Renee Webb, the victim’s mother, Ms. Delese Adon, the mother of the victim’s child, and Mr. Jonathan Rhock, the victim’s cousin, all addressed the Court at sentencing.

 

J. Charles Smith III, State’s Attorney for Frederick County, noted “It has been three years since this brutal murder occurred; three long years for the family of Devon Wallace to endure to get to this day. We are pleased that they are pleased with this substantial sentence. We wanted to provide as much certainty and closure as possible for the family. We thank them for their patience and grace throughout this process.”

 

The State was represented by Assistant State’s Attorneys Colleen Swanson and Lindsey Carpenter.

 

Ryan David Bretzfelder