CALVERT COUNTY, Md. — On Monday morning, Calvert County Circuit Court will begin jury selection in the high-profile murder trial of Brandon Ross Holbrook, the Pennsylvania man accused of killing and dismembering a Huntingtown resident in one of the area’s most unsettling homicide cases in recent recollection.
Court records show that Holbrook, 49, of Reedsville, Pennsylvania, is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, use of a firearm in a violent crime, and altering physical evidence in connection with the death of a man reported missing from his Calvert County home in September 2023.
The trial is expected to last 10 days and has already drawn regional and national attention. Officials say the courthouse will operate two separate rooms — one for court proceedings and another for press and public viewing via livestream. Additional security and crowd control measures are being implemented.
According to court documents previously reviewed by The BayNet, deputies were called to a home on Carl Court in Huntingtown on Sept. 4, 2023, after the victim failed to show up for a child custody exchange. Blood evidence was later found in the driveway. The victim’s car was left parked at the scene, with his phone still inside.
License plate data later placed Holbrook’s vehicle — a white Dodge pickup — traveling north out of Calvert County the same evening. Days later, Pennsylvania authorities, working with Calvert detectives, located Holbrook at his residence. His truck reportedly reeked of decomposition. Investigators recovered human remains, blood evidence, and a receipt dated the day after the suspected killing for plastic sheeting and cleaning supplies.
In court filings from January, the Calvert County State’s Attorney’s Office announced it would seek life imprisonment without the possibility of parole if Holbrook is convicted.
Judge Mark Chandlee will preside over the proceedings. Holbrook is represented by attorney Thomas C. Mooney of Upper Marlboro. Prosecutors Benjamin G. Lerner and Christopher J. Monte will argue the state’s case. Court records list attorney Kurt William Wolfgang as legal counsel for the victim’s family.
A spokesperson for the courthouse confirmed that no cameras or recording devices will be permitted inside, but media will be allowed to report from designated outdoor areas. Parking will be limited due to ongoing construction nearby, with overflow signage planned for Main and King streets.
Friends of the victim, organizing under the slogan “Justice for Joe,” have said they plan to attend every day of the trial.
Stay with The BayNet for ongoing courtroom coverage starting Monday, March 31, 2025.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
Many criminals, him included, aren’t too bright.
Yes, that is true. That is why so many jurisdictions are becoming more lenient toward violent criminals and letting them out of jail or reducing/waiving charges, thus giving them a second chance to commit their crimes more efficiently.
When is her trial? That’s the one that matters. This guy believed the lies. Should have known not to trust her words, if she was sleeping with this guy, while living in the husbands house & his income. “All he put her through”, well the courts ruled 75%-25% in his favor, but she wanted 100% of husbands income, while using lover for additional income, with zero accountability. This guy may have pulled the trigger, but she wrote the death warrant.
Good example of why the death penalty should be brought back.
No charges for Joe’s ex-wife??
Yet