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Jaden Crowner, 20, was found guilty Friday, Dec. 6, of first-degree murder, carrying a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and other handgun offenses following a four-day trial in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, officials said.
He faces sentencing on April 30, 2025.
The victim, Walters Elangwe, a hardworking Cameroonian immigrant who bought and resold used smartphones for extra income, was lured to the 1100 block of Primrose Court on July 11, 2020, under the pretense of purchasing an iPhone, prosecutors said.
According to testimony, Crowner approached Elangwe’s car with another man before pulling out a handgun and firing multiple shots through the windshield. Elangwe’s car reversed into another vehicle before coming to a stop. He was rushed to Anne Arundel Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.
Witnesses reported seeing two suspects run to a nearby side street, where they were joined by a third person before fleeing through a wooded area. Cellphone records and surveillance footage ultimately identified Crowner as the shooter.
“Walters Elangwe was a hardworking man who was killed for no reason other than the defendant’s desire to test out his newly acquired handgun to rob him,” said State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess. “The defendant clearly has no regard for human life, and I am grateful the jury determined he was responsible for Mr. Elangwe's death.”
Crowner was already serving a life sentence for a separate murder to which he pleaded guilty in 2023.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State's Attorneys Glen Neubauer and Brian Pritchard, with Judge Pamela Alban presiding.
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