A crime that sent shock waves through the Southern Maryland community last summer is finally going to trial. The jury trial of John Morris Quade, Jr., 32, of Lexington Park began Tuesday in St. Mary’s County Circuit Court. Quade is accused of murdering Moneta Jo Strickland, 32, on the Three Notch Trail in Mechanicsville.
The first day of trial was marked by the selection of 12 jurors and three alternates from a pool of 120, opening statements by the state and defense, and the first state witnesses. The trial is scheduled to go on all week.
In his opening arguments, St. Mary’s County States Attorney Richard Fritz said that on August 8, 2013 on the trail, Quade took “a heavy, heavy rock and bludgeoned her (Strickland) to death.” He added to the details, “When he couldn’t have his way, whatever his way was, he killed her.” Fritz said Quade then buried Strickland.
Fritz said the state’s case would show that Quade was subsequently identified by a police officer from a surveillance tape taken from the Apple Basket store across Route 235 from John Baggett Park on the trail. Fritz said that when Quade was confronted he continued to change his story until he ultimately confessed.
Quade’s attorney, Public Defender Gerald Riviello said he would bring out in his case that the state had failed to prove several of the charges against his client, including felony murder. He also said the charge of Armed Robbery would fail because a number of valuable items were found on Strickland, including her car key and engagement ring. Fritz said he would prove Quade took Strickland’s cell phone and destroyed it to avoid detection.
Strickland’s fiancé, Henson Rara of California and her mother Thelma Strickland of Mechanicsville testified as to frantically trying to find Moneta Jo when she did not return home from her job as a registered nurse in the telemetry unit at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital. They discovered she had never made it to work. Rara tracked her car to the parking lot of the Three Notch Trail using the Foursquare geocaching ap that they used to keep in touch with each other.
Deputy Lacey Johnson testified to finding the car in the parking locked and cool on the early morning hours of August 9th during a patrol check. She called in the license plate number.
The key state’s witness during the first day of testimony was Paul Willenborg of Mechanicsville, who stopped by the trail after work for a walk. Willenborg said he arrived about 3:15 p.m. on August 8th and saw Strickland crossing to parking lot and entering the trail ahead of him. He said when he got on the trail he turned around a saw a man he later identified as Quade. A short time later he turned around again and the man was no longer there. As he w
