Justin Fenton
investigative reporter
Justin Fenton is an investigative reporter for The Baltimore Banner. He spent 17 years at The Baltimore Sun, covering the criminal justice system. His book, “We Own This City: A True Story of Crime, Cops, and Corruption,” was released by Random House in 2021 and became an HBO miniseries. He was part of a Pulitzer Prize-finalist team honored for its coverage of the death of Freddie Gray, and he was a two-time finalist for the national Livingston Award for Young Journalists, for an investigation showing how police were discarding rape complaints at the highest rate in the country, and for a five-part narrative series set inside a homicide investigation. He is an Anne Arundel County native and a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, and he lives in Baltimore.
The latest from Justin
Prosecutors to seek life sentences in Leon Day Park, Fells Point violence that killed 2
A mass shooting that killed a 12-year-old at a West Baltimore youth football game earlier this month was not sparked by a dispute over a parking spot as police had stated early in the investigation, a new indictment says.
Trump DOJ sues Anne Arundel school board over gender identity policy as midterms near
The Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division on Tuesday sued Anne Arundel County’s Board of Education, claiming the district secretly allowed students to change their genders without their parents’ knowledge or consent.
Thanks to small-town cops and DNA sleuths, a murder case linked to Baltimore cracks wide open
After skeletal remains were found in Pennsylvania, a small-town police sergeant set out to learn the victim’s identity. It led him around the country and to Baltimore.
Baltimore mayor summons public safety leaders to City Hall over rash of violence
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott summoned his public safety leadership teams to City Hall Tuesday to address a rash of recent shootings that could slow Baltimore’s historic yearslong reductions in gun violence.
Ex-Baltimore school board member racked up contracts, connections before FBI search
After FBI agents searched his Baltimore County office on Sept. 30, Mujahid Muhammad’s influence has begun to waver.
Former Anne Arundel sheriff teams up with an ex-drug dealer for tell-all book
The unlikely duo this month published “Covert Underworlds,” which features cross-cutting narratives describing their parallel lives growing up in northern Anne Arundel County.
Suspect in 12-year-old girl’s killing was released from prison days before shooting
Tyree Reynolds, who is accused of killing 12-year-old Khloe Ishway, was previously convicted for another shooting in 2021.
Mastermind behind botched murder-for-hire gets 40 years in prison for educator’s killing
The decade-long investigation of a murder-for-hire gone wrong that killed a Baltimore teacher’s aide ended Thursday with the man who orchestrated the death sentenced to decades in prison.
Baltimore school commissioner resigns after FBI searches site of his nonprofit
FBI agents on Wednesday searched a building where Baltimore City School Commissioner Mujahid Muhammad operates a nonprofit mental health organization, according to the FBI’s Baltimore press office.
Suspended Baltimore Police deputy commissioner resigns amid misconduct probe
Brian Nadeau, the Baltimore Police deputy commissioner who oversaw integrity and discipline before he was suspended pending a misconduct investigation, has resigned.
‘Most wanted’ suspect’s suicide stokes tension between Bates and police
Police and Mayor Brandon Scott say they were following protocols in a high-profile case involving an elusive suspect. They accused Bates of disrespecting the privacy of the families of the victim and suspect.
Prisoner stabbed to death in Hagerstown after months without an inmate killing
A prisoner was fatally stabbed in Hagerstown, the first inmate killed since May after a spate of deaths at the start of the year.
Police believe Baltimore mass shooting related to gang dispute, sources say
Investigators believe the mass shooting in Baltimore Wednesday night is connected to an ongoing gang dispute, law enforcement sources told The Banner.
Maryland State Police to investigate suspended Baltimore Police deputy commissioner
State officials will investigate suspended Baltimore Police Deputy Commissioner Brian Nadeau, a city police spokesperson said.
West Baltimore laundromat owner charged in ‘colossal’ federal cocaine bust
U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Mark Coulson ordered George Robinson, whom prosecutors allege led a $25 million drug-trafficking conspiracy, to remain detained pending trial.
Baltimore deputy police commissioner suspended
The Baltimore Police Department’s deputy commissioner overseeing internal affairs and officer discipline, Brian Nadeau, has been suspended.
ICE agents clashed violently with Frederick. Where does the city go from here?
Frederick is home to more than 90,000 residents. Many said in interviews it still felt before this month like an unlikely place for such a violent episode between ICE agents and protesters that only appeared to strike bigger cities.
A Maryland man helped the feds crack down on a drug cartel. Marco Rubio still wanted him deported.
An immigrant living in Maryland cooperated with law enforcement officials in their investigation of a drug cartel. Then, an immigration judge ruled he should not be deported to Mexico, finding that he risked likely torture or death if he were sent there. Yet last month, he was.
Baltimore cop charged with raping a crime victim he drove home in Harford County
A Baltimore Police officer has been charged in Harford County with raping a woman involved in a domestic violence incident whom he had driven home, officials confirmed.
Mayor Scott is using ‘aggressive’ legal tactics in his IG dispute. Here’s why.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott is escalating his dispute with Inspector General Isabel Mercedes Cumming by asking a state appellate court to intervene and releasing documents that allege Cumming abusing her access to records.
