On Friday, November 22, 2024, Parrise Marcellous Valentine, 33, of Aberdeen, was sentenced to Life suspend all but fifty (50) years to serve following an August 2024 guilty plea to First Degree Murder.
Facts presented in support of the plea showed that on February 17, 2024, members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office responded to D&M’s Tiki Bar in Edgewood for reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they observed the victim present on scene and suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Shortly after, that victim was pronounced deceased at a local hospital. Further investigation produced video surveillance from inside the business that showed the suspect as a black male with long hair. An anonymous tip later identified the Defendant, Parrise Marcellous Valentine, as the suspect in the incident, and additional video surveillance showed him fleeing the scene of the shooting that evening. Valentine was later tracked to Philadelphia and apprehended on February 19, 2024. He and the victim were known to each other and had been involved in an ongoing feud. In an interview, Valentine admitted to killing the victim after having been in two fights with him that were filmed in the preceding weeks. Valentine further stated he feared further assaults in the future.
The Honorable Alex M. Allman sentenced Valentine to Life suspend all but fifty (50) years to serve for First Degree Murder and a concurrent fifteen (15) years for use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence. The first five years of that sentence will be without the possibility of parole. The State requested an aggregate sentence of 65 years to serve. Following the sentencing hearing, State’s Attorney Alison M. Healey commented: “This is yet another significant sentence for a crime of violence in Harford County and another violent offender off our streets for what we hope will be the rest of his life. I’m proud of my team and how hard our office works every day to make Harford County a safe place to live, work and visit.”
State’s Attorney Healey further thanks Deputy State’s Attorney David Ryden and Assistant State’s Attorney Ari Kodeck for securing this significant sentence for the senseless act that took a young man’s life. Ms. Healey also thanks Detective Smith from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office’s Criminal Investigations Division for a swift and thorough investigation in the identification of the Defendant, the Sheriff’s Office’s Special Investigations Division for locating the Defendant, and the Philadelphia Police Department’s Homicide and Fugitive units for their assistance in his apprehension without incident.