Crime & Safety

Pitcairn Murderer Sentenced to 7 More Years

John Wagner, the man convicted of killing Johns Hopkins researcher Stephen Pitcairn, was sentenced to seven more years in prison for violating probation.

John Wagner, the man convicted of killing Johns Hopkins researcher Stephen Pitcairn, was sentenced to an additional seven years in prison on Friday for violating the terms of his probation.

Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge John Addison Howard added the sentence to the life plus 20 years Wagner was sentenced to after being convicted of murdering Pitcairn in October, according to a news release from the State’s Attorney’s office.

At the time of the Pitcairn murder in July 2010, Wagner was on probation for second-degree assault. The sentence of 7 years, 8 months and 6 days is the balance of the 2008 sentence, according to the release.

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“I commend Judge Howard for imposing the full balance of time and making it consecutive to the murder sentence,” State’s Attorney Gregg L. Bernstein said in a news release. “This proceeding reflects our commitment to using absolutely every tool at our disposal to ensure that repeat, violent offenders remain in jail and off of our streets.”

A probation violation hearing for Wagner’s accomplice Lavelva Merritt, who Wagner as part of a plea deal, is scheduled for Dec. 19. Last month Merritt was sentenced to 30 years in prison with all but 15 years suspended for her role in the Pitcairn murder.

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In July 2010, Pitcairn, 23, was walking home from Penn Station when Wagner stabbed him during a robbery in the 2600 block of St. Paul Street.  


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