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Glen Burnie Man Convicted Of Murdering Former Federal Police Officer

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- A Glen Burnie man has been convicted in the 2006 murder of a former federal protective services officer, authorities said Friday.

William McDonald, 41, was found guilty of first-degree felony murder, two counts of armed robbery and multiple firearms charges in the shooting death of Benjamin Curtis, according to the Anne Arundel County State's Attorney's Office.

McDonald was previously convicted of Curtis' murder in 2018, but that conviction was later thrown out.

Curtis was fatally shot Aug. 12, 2006, inside his SUV while it was parked behind an Odenton bar.

Authorities said Curtis and his girlfriend had been sitting in the vehicle when they were robbed at gunpoint. Curtis fought back when his girlfriend was ordered to undress, a struggle ensued and McDonald shot him in the head.

Afterward, Curtis' girlfriend escaped and ran for help. When police arrived, Curtis was alive but unresponsive. He was rushed to a hospital, but he did not survive.

The next month, police recovered a .40-caliber handgun from a New Jersey traffic stop. Ballistic tests later matched the weapon to shell casings taken from Curtis' SUV.

Interviews with the woman the gun was confiscated from, along with her boyfriend, led detectives to McDonald, who was arrested and tried for Curtis' murder.

A jury found McDonald guilty in 2018, but an appeals court declared a mistrial after finding that the jury was shown evidence it shouldn't have seen, The Capital reports.

Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence for McDonald, whose sentencing hearing is set for Jan. 10.

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