Maryland Man Admits to Role in Kidnapping and Multiple Murders
Tuesday, July 28, 2026
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of West Virginia
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — A Carroll County, Maryland man has admitted to his role in a multi-state violent crime spree involving kidnapping, murder, and witness tampering causing death following a lengthy investigation, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey.
Monroe Merrell, 29, of Westminster, Maryland, pled guilty today to three charges, admitting he worked with others to kidnap and murder J.R. in an apartment in Westminster, Maryland in March 2020. J.R. was severely beaten and stabbed multiple times before Merrell and others transported him across state lines into West Virginia. During J.R.’s transport Merrell stabbed him multiple times, killing him. Merrell and others attempted to dispose of his body in the woods of a rural, isolated section of Rippon in Jefferson County by dousing him with gasoline and burning his body. The following morning, a nearby resident driving by called in a report for emergency services after seeing a body burning in the woods near the roadway, prompting a multi-state investigation involving collaboration between state and federal agencies.
In April 2020, Merrell became concerned that two witnesses to J.R.’s beating and kidnapping, D.T. and H.G., would communicate what they knew to law enforcement. Merrell and others brought the pair from Maryland to the Falling Waters area of Berkeley County, West Virginia, where they drugged and partially incapacitated them. D.T., 18, of Taneytown, Maryland, and H.G., 33, of Westminster, Maryland, were then both killed, their bodies burned, and their remains disposed of in the Potomac River.
By entering his plea of guilty, Merrell is the last defendant in the multi-defendant case to accept responsibility for the kidnapping and murders. Merrell’s acceptance of responsibility encompasses a fourth victim, E.D. (previously identified in Counts Eight and Nine of the Indictment as “Jane Doe”), who Merrell targeted in a solicitation of murder plot in his continued effort to conceal the crimes. Merrell is facing a life sentence on each of the counts to which he has pled guilty after a United States motion to re-seek the death penalty was denied in October 2025.
Three other co-defendants named in the Indictment, all Maryland residents, David Sanford, Jr.; John Black, III; and Jeffrey Smith, Jr.; previously pled guilty for their roles in the kidnapping and murders. Additionally, April Braner, 43, of Falling Waters, West Virginia, and Norman Bradford, 55, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, also entered guilty pleas by Information for their roles in the crimes. All sentencing hearings are scheduled for January 25, 2027.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley D. Crockett and Kyle R. Kane are prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, Carroll County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Berkeley and Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorneys’ Offices investigated.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.
Updated July 28, 2026
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Topic
Man Involved in March 18 Homicide Arrested by U.S. Marshals Task Force
For immediate release
June 09, 2020
Michael Ulrich, Deputy U.S. Marshal
Northern District of West Virginia
(304) 267-7179
Martinsburg, WV – Members of the U.S. Marshals Mountain State Fugitive Task Force and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) today arrested in Harper’s Ferry a Falling Waters man wanted by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office for murder.
Norman Bradford, 49, is suspected of conspiring with others in the murders of Danielle Tyler and Heather Grogg in an effort to cover up the homicide of Jonathan Riddle, whose body was found badly burned in Rippon March 18. Police investigation revealed Riddle had been assaulted, kidnapped from Carroll County, Maryland, and eventually killed and burned in West Virginia. Four others who are alleged to have participated in the crime — Monroe Merrell, David Sanford, and John Black – have since been arrested and remain in custody.
The Sheriff’s Department was able to determine on April 6, Jeff Smith, Sanford, and Emily Day brought Tyler and Grogg to the residence of April Braner in the 300 block of Burnside Drive, and on April 7, Merrell, Smith and Bradford left the residence with Grogg. The three are alleged to have taken her to another location, where she was shot and killed. Bradford is also suspected to have participated in disposing of her body.
The U.S. Marshals Service was asked by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office to arrest Bradford, who is known by the alias “Six Three” in the Pagans Motorcycle Club. The agency developed information Bradford was staying in a motor home on a property on Valmont Lane in Harpers Ferry. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service task force and the Jefferson County Special Weapons Attack Team located him there and took him into custody without incident.
“These murders were heinous crimes, and the individuals who committed these violent acts showed a blatant disregard for the sanctity of human life,” said U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of West Virginia J.C. Raffety. “I am particularly proud of the part the U.S. Marshals play in providing assistance to our local partners to locate and apprehend their most violent fugitives. This community is safer because of it.”
Additional information on this case may be obtained from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. A photo of Bradford may be found on the Eastern Regional Jail’s web page.
The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency, having served the country since 1789.
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