BALTIMORE MAN TO SERVE 85 YEARS IN THE DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS FOR FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, KIDNAPPING AND CARJACKING
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JANUARY 2, 2026
BALTIMORE MAN TO SERVE 85 YEARS IN THE DIVISION OF CORRECTIONS FOR FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT FIRST-DEGREE MURDER, KIDNAPPING AND CARJACKING
Frederick, MD – Today, in Frederick County Circuit Court, the State requested Life without Parole. After conducting a full sentencing hearing, the Honorable Judge Scott Rolle ordered 20-year-old Keon Naki Wilson-Hawkins to serve Life, suspend all but 65 Years for First-Degree Murder and 20 years consecutive for Kidnapping. In addition, the Defendant is ordered to serve 10 years, concurrently for Carjacking. The Defendant was found guilty by a jury on all counts on July 9, 2025 in the Frederick County Circuit Court under the supervision of Judge Rolle.
At approximately 1:32 p.m., on Jan. 10, 2024, Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) deputies responded to the 8200 block of Crum Road, Walkersville, Maryland, for the report of a suspicious vehicle in a field. The caller reported that the vehicle had its flashers on and had been there since 7 a.m.
Upon responding, deputies located a 2003 Toyota Sequoia in a field approximately 650 feet off the roadway with mud and blood on the exterior. Deputies determined the vehicle was registered to Brice Wendell Boots, age 66, of Pikesville, Maryland. Deputies found Boots deceased inside the vehicle and immediately established a crime scene at the location.
Detectives responded to Boots’ residence in Pikesville on the evening of Jan. 10, to locate next of kin. While in the area, they learned from neighbors that Boots’ estranged wife, Frances Virginia Hamilton, was observed at Boots’ residence the evening prior. One of the neighbors observed two male there and believed him to be her nephews. One of the nephews was later identified as Keon Wilson-Hawkins. Detectives further learned that Boots and Hamilton were going through contentious divorce and that Boots had expressed fear for his safety from Hamilton on prior occasions.
A search of Boots’ residence was conducted on Jan. 11, and deputies observed evidence consistent with a physical altercation occurring within the home and Boots being forcibly abducted.
Detectives obtained surveillance video from a business near Boots’ residence which captured Hamilton and Keon Wilson-Hawkins travelling in the same vehicle to Boots’ residence on the evening of January 9.
Historical cellular phone records for Boots, Hamilton, and Wilson-Hawkins were obtained and analyzed with the assistance of the FBI Cellular Analysis Survey Team (CAST). The records show that Boots, Hamilton, and Wilson-Hawkins were at Boots’ residence on the evening of Jan. 9, through the early morning hours of Jan. 10. Boots and Wilson-Hawkins then depart the residence at approximately 4:37 a.m. on Jan. 10, and travel via interstate 70 toward Frederick. Boots and Wilson-Hawkins arrive in the 8200 block of Crum Road around 6:20 a.m. Wilson-Hawkins departs the 8200 block of Crum Road at approximately 6:30 a.m. and travels back to his home in west Baltimore.
Hamilton was found deceased on Feb. 24, in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Her cause of death was ruled a suicide.
The grand jury for Frederick County returned an indictment on March 8, charging Keon Wilson-Hawkins with First Degree Murder, Conspiracy First Degree Murder, Kidnapping, and Carjacking.
State’s Attorney Charlie Smith said, “A lot of effort by the prosecution went into this conviction and sentencing. It was a great deal of evidence. While 85 years is a lengthy sentence, the family and prosecutors were hoping for a LWOP sentence. Now, the family will have to endure this Defendant getting a ‘Second Look’ to seek a sentence reduction after serving only 20 years.”
The victim’s cousin described how this crime affected her family telling the court, “My cousin Brice cared deeply for his family and friends. He was brutally taken away from us and we are left with a deep emptiness. The brutal way he was taken will forever be burned into our memories.”
Chief Counsel Ricky Lewis and Deputy State’s Attorney Joyce King represented the State of Maryland.
Press Contact:
Jacqueline Rottmann
Court Media Relations Officer
301-600-2972
100 West Patrick Street
Frederick, Maryland 21701
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