Annapolis, Md. – On Friday afternoon, an Anne Arundel County judge sentenced Angelo Harrod to Life in Prison Without the Possibility of Parole in the 2021 fatal shooting of Michelle Cummings, the 57-year-old mother of a U.S. Naval Academy midshipman, and a consecutive Life sentence for the attempted murder of two others, State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced.
“What was supposed to be a celebratory time turned into tragedy for Mrs. Cummings’ family that summer evening,” Leitess said. “Mrs. Cummings was a proud mother and loving wife who was taken away by senseless gunfire. May this prosecution and sentence show there will be no tolerance for these crimes in our county. I pray that the Cummings family will find peace and closure today.
“The Annapolis Police Department and my Office worked tirelessly to prosecute this defendant. I would like to thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Jason Steinhardt and Carolynn Grammas for successfully prosecuting this case as well as the work by the Annapolis Police Department, and lead Detective Aaron Stein. I want to also thank John Foster, our Demonstrative Evidence Specialist who assisted in this case.”
Following a two-week trial, a county jury in December found Harrod guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder and conspiracy for the shooting, which took place on Pleasant Street in Annapolis on June 29, 2021.
Mrs. Cummings, of Houston, was in Annapolis for Induction Day for her son Trey, a member of the Navy football team. She was on the patio of the Graduate Hotel celebrating with family and friends when she was struck by a single stray bullet to her chest. Witnesses said Mrs. Cummings fell to the ground, later succumbing to her injuries.
Through surveillance, DNA, and phone records, investigators determined 31-year-old Harrod and another individual fired several shots at a couple who were parked on Pleasant Street following a date. Multiple bullets struck the vehicle, with one shot passing through a wooded area to the patio of the hotel. The man and woman in the vehicle were uninjured. However, several bullets came within just inches of the couple.
Honorable Pamela Alban presided over the case.