Ellicott City, MD (May 1, 2024) – Jeremi Quentin Lewis, age 36, was sentenced today to life without parole plus 100 years for the shooting death of a Howard County man and his involvement as the leader of a local subset of a national criminal organization. In February of 2024, Lewis was found guilty by a Howard County jury of 1st-degree murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Jaden Ealey and eight other crimes stemming from his leadership of the “59 Hoover Criminal Gang” that occurred from May 2020 to March 2022.
On the evening of May 30, 2021, Howard County police were called to the 6000 block of Foreland Garth for a report of shots fired. Officers located Ealey behind the Exxon gas station suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in critical condition and later died on June 11th, 2021.
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According to the Howard County Police Department (HCPD), Lewis was a leader in the “59 Hoover Criminal Gang” organization. Seven other gang members have already been convicted for various crimes after their pleas of guilty. Their sentences range from 4 to 18 years.
Lewis was convicted in February of 1st-degree murder, 1st-degree assault, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, two counts of firearm possession with felony conviction, organizing, supervising, and financing a criminal organization, participating in a criminal organization, and participating in a criminal organization resulting in the death of Jaden Ealey.
In 2020, Howard County Police determined groups of people were committing some of the most serious crimes around the county. This included members of the “59 Hoover Criminal Gang” and other individuals. The HCPD, in collaboration with the Howard County Sheriff’s Office, approached the State’s Attorney’s Office to form a partnership that would ultimately become known as the Crime Reduction Teams (CRT). Their work culminated in the indictment of the eight gang members in March 2022.
“Our heart goes out to the Ealey family and all those impacted by the criminal activities engaged in by this gang,” said State’s Attorney Rich Gibson. “Today’s sentence is appropriate considering the abhorrent conduct of the defendant and should serve as a deterrent to anyone who would engage in this type of criminal activity in this area. It is shameful that the defendant, who operated in a leadership role, used his acumen to harm his community instead of providing help, and we want to make sure that people understand these types of choices have significant consequences. Lastly, I’m grateful to our dedicated staff who worked tirelessly on this case and our law enforcement partners without whom this result could not be achieved.”
The criminal acts committed by members of the “59 Hoover Criminal Gang” were designed to establish dominance and take control over territories in Columbia. Members of the gang also sold illegal substances and kept firearms in their possession to use in violent crimes.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Natasha M. Byus and Jonathon R. Church prosecuted this case.
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