Date: March 3, 2025
Re: State v Kusan Hines
On Friday, February 28, 2025, Kusan Hines, 43, of Havre de Grace, pled guilty to one count of Second Degree Depraved Heart Murder and one count Distribution of Controlled Dangerous Substances before the Honorable M. Elizabeth Bowen in the Circuit Court for Harford County.
Facts presented in support of the plea proved that on October 12, 2023, Deputies from the Harford County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to an apartment in Havre de Grace for a welfare check. Upon arrival, contact was made with the handy man for the property who reported that he arrived to fix the locks and could not gain access to the unit. Using a ladder to see into the apartment, he observed the male victim slumped over in the bedroom.
Deputies made entry and discovered a 33-year-old male victim deceased from a suspected overdose. Detective Armiger from the Harford County Drug Task Force assumed the investigation and located a glass smoking device commonly used for smoking Crack Cocaine under the body of the victim. The victim was then taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, where a Forensic Toxicologist confirmed that he had a combination of Cocaine, Benzoylecgonine, Fentanyl, and Despropionyl Fentanyl in his system. Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Vincenti then performed an autopsy and confirmed that the cause of his death was Fentanyl, Despropionyl Fentanyl, and Cocaine Intoxication.
Through further investigation, surveillance videos from the victim’s apartment were reviewed which showed that a male, later identified as Kusan Hines, and a female, later identified as Kusan Hines’ girlfriend, arrive at the victim’s apartment the night of the overdose on October 11. The next video showed them leaving the victim’s apartment a bit later. They were the last ones to be at the victim’s apartment before he was found deceased the next day.
On November 16, 2023, Detective Armiger conducted an interview with Kusan Hines where he advised that he was friends with the victim and confirmed that it was in fact him and his girlfriend on the surveillance video entering the victim’s residence. He further advised that the victim had a preexisting mental condition that caused him to have hallucinations, that drugs made the hallucinations worse, that his mental condition was worse than ever, and the victim was admitted to the hospital for his mental conditions not long before the overdose. Hines further stated that he went to the victim’s apartment to cook crack cocaine and smoke with him. The victim smoked the crack cocaine most likely unaware that it contained the Fentanyl and Despropionyl Fentanyl and after smoking, he started “acting weird.” Despite this, Hines left with his girlfriend, leaving the victim alone in his apartment without seeking any medical assistance.
Detective Armiger was also able to speak with an independent witness who spoke with Hines regarding the incident. This witness stated that Hines came into the Fluff and Fold Laundromat the day after the overdose and kept repeating “It’s my fault, it’s my fault.” When asked what he was referring to, Hines said “I gave him too much.” This same witness confirmed that Hines was the only one that would deal drugs to the victim, since other dealers refused due to his mental conditions.
Following the plea, Kusan Hines was sentenced to 30 years suspend all but 12 years to serve at the Department of Corrections, and 5 years of supervised probation following release. State’s Attorney Healey issued the following statement: “I cannot say enough about the importance of this case and the precedent it has set for how we will handle future overdose cases in Harford County. I commend Assistant State’s Attorney Stuart Welch for his tireless efforts and collaboration with our Harford County Drug Taskforce to support the investigation and prosecution of those that deal drugs in our communities, especially in cases that result in death. To our knowledge, this is the first murder conviction in the State of Maryland related to a fatal overdose, and Harford County has now opened the door for this to become the norm. We will continue to seek even higher sentences in an effort to deter the distribution of these poisons in our community.”
State’s Attorney Healey also expresses her gratitude to Detective Armiger and the entire Harford County Drug Taskforce for their efforts in this investigation and for all that they do daily to ensure the safety of Harford County citizens. Their professionalism and skill are unmatched, and they should be commended for the very important role they play in Harford County’s public safety.