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Baltimore's Keon Wilson-Hawkins, 20, of Baltimore, is believed to have abducted 66-year-old Brice Wendell Boots from his Pikesville home, just before 4:40 a.m. Jan. 10, the Frederick County State's Attorney said. They drove together to Frederick County, where Wilson-Hawkins killed Boots and left his body in a mud- and blood-spattered 2003 Toyota Sequoia, nearly 650 feet in a field off of the roadway, as previously reported by Daily Voice.
Amid the investigation, Boots' estranged wife, Frances Virginia Hamilton, was found dead of suspected suicide on Feb. 24 in Anne Arundel County, the FC State's Attorney said, noting authorities had been trying to reach her for the investigation.
The night that Boots' body was found, detectives showed up to his home seeking family, where neighbors informed them that Hamilton and a man later identified as Wilson-Hawkins had been seen at the home the night before, the Frederick County State's Attorney's Office said.
Detectives also learned that Boots and Hamilton were in the middle of a contentious divorce, and Boots had expressed fear for his safety from Hamilton on multiple occasions, officials said.
"Evidence consistent with a physical altercation occurring within the home and Boots being forcibly abducted," was found by detectives conducting the homicide investigation on Jan. 11, police said.
Using surveillance video from a nearby business, Hamilton and Wilson-Hawkins were seen traveling in the same vehicle to Boots' home the night before his body was found, then leaving the area on Jan. 10 at around 4:30 a.m. and heading on I-70 toward Frederick, the FCSA said.
Phone records recovered by prosecutors determined that all three were at Boots' home on Jan. 9 and into the following morning. Boots and Wilson-Hawkins arrived in the 8200 block of Crum road at approximately 6:20 a.m., and the latter headed back to his Baltimore home minutes later.
On Tuesday, March 12, the day after Wilson-Hawkins' arrest was made public, they said he'd waived his bond hearing and remains behind bars on charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, kidnapping, and carjacking.
“This very disturbing murder has been a non-stop priority for our agency since it occurred in early January," Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins said. "This crime is another example of individuals from outside of this county committing violent crimes locally and somehow believing their crimes won’t be solved."
Boots' obituary says he had "extraordinary athletic talent," having played football, basketball, and baseball while a student at Edmondson High School. He also won multiple championships in various youth leagues.
As an adult, he discovered bowling, his new passion, and worked for UPS before becoming a driver for GIANT Food Stores.
"He was very committed to his work, always showing to up to work even during the Covid Pandemic," Boots' obituary reads. "He ensured grocery shelves remained stocked despite the potential contact with the deadly virus. He fully understood and accepted his vital role as an essential worker. His commitment to his work exemplified his commitment to his family, friends and community."
Click here for Brice Boots' complete obituary.
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