An arrest was made on August 13 by detectives from the St. Mary’s County Bureau of Criminal Investigations and the Maryland State Police Homicide Unit in the death of Moneta Jo Strickland, age 32, of Mechanicsville. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner earlier ruled the manner of death as a homicide and the cause being blunt force trauma to the body.
Detectives executed a Search and Seizure Warrant at the residence of John Morris Quade, Jr. age 31, of Lexington Park, Maryland and recovered evidentiary items linking Quade, Jr. to the homicide. Quade, Jr. became a primary suspect in this case after a review of video surveillance by detectives from a business in the area revealed a suspicious vehicle and person in the area during the time frame of the homicide. BCI detectives were able to learn the identity of the owner and knew him to be a registered sex offender. Quade, Jr. also matched the description of a suspicious person observed on the trail by a citizen prior to the incident.
Quade, Jr. was taken into custody without incident while leaving his residence and transported to BCI where he was interviewed by detectives. Upon completion of the interview, Quade, Jr. was transported to the St. Mary’s County Detention Center and charged with First Degree Murder, First Degree Assault and Robbery. He is awaiting a bond hearing before the District Court Commissioner.
BCI would like to thank the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division, Calvert Investigative Team, Calvert County K-9 Search and Rescue Team, Southern Maryland Information Center, Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the citizens of St. Mary’s County for their assistance in this case.
The St. Mary’s County Bureau of Criminal Investigations is an investigative team comprised of Detectives from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office and the Maryland State Police, Leonardtown Barrack. The unit was established on July 1, 2003 and is based in Leonardtown, Maryland.
