Franchot, O'Malley weigh in on Charles Village killing

State Comptroller Peter Franchot said this morning that he’s been haunted by news accounts of the weekend murder of a Johns Hopkins research assistant in Charles Village. Speaking before this morning's Board of Public Works meeting, Franchot said he’d like to talk with the suspects in the case.

“I just wish I could sometimes sit down with this person and say: What was it? Why did you murder him?” Franchot said.

Police arrested two suspects in the stabbing death of Stephen B. Pitcairn, who was killed Sunday after being robbed.

Franchot also said he wants a briefing on the O'Malley Administration’s work to help law enforcement target parolees suspected of continued violent criminal activity, a tactic police find useful because it is generally easier to have a suspect re-committed to prison via a simple violation of parole or probation hearing than by building a fresh criminal case.

Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has worked hard to increase communication between parole and probation agents and local police and prosecutors, said that the state is “doing much better” sharing information and pointed to the judicial system. He stressed that judges must play their role.

John Wagner, one of the two suspects in the killing, was charged six times with violating the terms of his probation, but in each instance a judge let him go. "In this case the person was violated," O'Malley said. "This person was brought before a judge."

He added: “I don’t think I do a single interview with candidates for judges where I don’t emphasize the importance of protecting the rest of us from that small tiny group of people who harm others, who kill. That is the most important thing that a judge does is protect the public.”