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Wilber Oswaldo Nunez-Menendez, 28, of Crownsville, pleaded guilty to second-degree counts of murder and attempted murder, as well as two counts of use of a handgun in a violent crime in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court in Annapolis, State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said.
The charges stem from a November 2020 incident in which Anne Arundel Police responded to a home on Brick Church Road in Edgewater and found Ronal Alcids Maldonado Quijana, 52, dead from gunshot wounds. A 28-year-old man had also been shot, Daily Voice reported.
Witnesses told police they were at an outdoor party with friends and co-workers when a former co-worker arrived with his nephew, who got into a verbal argument with another guest.
The nephew then pulled out a handgun and shot the victims multiple times before fleeing with the former co-worker in a pickup truck.
Nunez-Menendez was identified as the shooter with help from law enforcement databases and other associates. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but authorities found that he had fled to El Salvador.
Nunez-Menendez was extradited from El Salvador to Maryland by US Marshals and turned over to Anne Arundel County police in May 2023.
"What started as a verbal argument turned to needless gunfire that took one man's life and caused life-threatening injuries for another," Leitess said. "A simple dispute should never lead to gun violence.
"I want to thank law enforcement for their lengthy efforts to identify the defendant and ultimately, track him out of the country to bring justice."
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