Justice Delayed or Justice Forgotten? 10 Years Later, Charles Edward Carroll Jr.’s 35th Birthday Marked by Memory, Not Closure


Ten years have passed since Charles Edward Carroll Jr. was fatally shot, yet his family continues to keep his memory alive. On what would have been his 35th birthday, his mother and father are taking a moment to remember their son whose life was tragically cut short, reflecting on the life he lived and the justice and answers still sought from authorities.


Charles Edward Carroll Jr.'s family remains steadfast in their quest for justice, pushing for transparency and resolution in his homicide case, even as the investigation enters its tenth year. Since the tragic shooting of Carroll on July 28, 2016, his family continues to seek a substantial explanation for why his homicide investigation remains “cold.”



In a letter dated May 26, 2025, addressed to Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Leitess and obtained by Report Annapolis News, Chief Edward Jackson stated, "we both believe we know who killed him." The letter also noted that the murder weapon was recovered from an individual involved in the case, and information obtained during the investigation suggested a conspiracy to execute the homicide that occurred on Bywater Road in Annapolis. The letter indicated that the department's cold case investigative team did an "excellent" job developing leads after reviewing evidence in the case, finding "nothing that would indicate the mistakes were insurmountable."

Cold cases in Maryland are generally defined as unsolved criminal investigations that remain open. They are cases not solved initially through traditional means, often requiring "fresh eyes" to review existing work and pursue different avenues. The goal of a cold case investigator is to meaningfully advance the investigation, with incremental steps often leading to more significant advancements.

Beverly Reed, Carroll's mother, shared the following on social media, "Happy Heavenly Birthday. Today, I celebrate your birthday with happiness and laughter just like you would have."

On July 28, 2016, at approximately 9:30 p.m., Annapolis Police Department officers responded to the 900 block of Royal Street after reports of shots fired. They located a vehicle crashed into a residential structure, and inside was Charles Edward Carroll Jr., known to family and close friends as "Buddah" or "CJ," with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased moments later at a nearby hospital. Carroll was laid to rest following a widely attended celebration of life at First Christian Community Church in Annapolis on August 8, 2016, according to an obituary made available online by the William Reese and Sons Mortuary.

In a social media post, Bishop Charles Carroll, Sr., the victim's father stated the following:

"Today I celebrate you and remember what you could have been if it had not been for the one who set you up and took your life. The sad part in all this is that the community remained silent and to this day justice has not prevailed. This wasn't a case where he shot and killed by the police, but he was killed by his so called friends. It amazes me that we are silent on the things that matter. As I reflect on 10 years being ignored and failed not only by our people, but every level of the justice system, I am not a bit surprised, but there is a court of Justice that not controlled by man , but by God and he will have the final say in all of this. In the words of the late Dr. Martin L. King, the struggle continues. I not looking for pity just fairness. We live a country that's states all men are equal, but truth that's not the case for brown and black children."

According to a Report Annapolis News article published last year, Carroll's mother said that, despite apparent evidence connecting two individuals currently incarcerated for unrelated cases to her son's homicide, the Annapolis Police Department has yet to provide a clear explanation for why charges have not been filed, compounding the family's grief.


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