ANNAPOLIS, MD - Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced today that James Verombeck, 54, of Dunkirk entered a plea of guilty to the first degree murder of 22-year-old Tyrique Hudson. Following his guilty plea, Verombeck was found not criminally responsible for the North Carolina native's murder and was committed to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. He is expected to be housed at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital, a secure facility in Jessup, Maryland.
An independent forensic psychiatrist from the Maryland Department of Health performed an extensive evaluation on Verombeck and determined that he was not criminally responsible because he was suffering from schizoaffective disorder, bi-polar type and lacked substantial capacity to conform his conduct to the requirements of law. Dr. Adam Brown opined that the defendant was delusional and the attack on Mr. Hudson was due to his mental health disorder. His findings were the basis of the defendant's assertion that he should be committed to a mental health institute and treated rather than imprisoned for his crimes.
"Tyrique Hudson, affectionately known as TJ, was a son, brother, cousin and a friend who was beloved by so many people both near and far," said State's Attorney Anne Colt Leitess. "The 22-year-old was a software engineer who graduated a year and a half early from North Carolina A&T State University in December 2017 with a computer science degree. He moved to the area to work at Northrop Grumman where his manager described him as a bright and promising engineer. He enjoyed playing video games, watching movies, church life, and a huge fan of Marvel comics and the University of North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team. Simply put, Mr. Hudson did everything right. This brilliant mind was taken from this world far too soon. I continue to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Hudson."
Deputy State's Attorney Brian Marsh and April Skrenczuk prosecuted the case on behalf of the citizens of Anne Arundel County.
On April 15, 2019, Anne Arundel County police officers responded to 170 block of Virginia Lane in Glen Burnie for a report of an active shooter at the Colonial Square Apartments. There, police officers discovered 22-year old Tyrique Hudson in a stairwell suffering from a gunshot wound to his chest.
Mr. Hudson succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
Shortly after, Anne Arundel County Police Special Operations Response Team arrived at the location and evacuated residents from the building. While enroute to the location, they learned that a white male, later identified as James Verombeck, was located inside the building and firing a shotgun. For several hours, the Special Operations Response Team used various tactics to get Verombeck to exit the residence as he had barricaded himself inside the apartment. Verombeck refused to follow the commands of the police officers. Finally, after almost nine hours, the police officers were able to safely enter the residence, restrain Verombeck and place him under arrest. As Verombeck was picked up from the ground and removed from the apartment, police officers observed Verombeck lying on top of a loaded 12-gauge shotgun that was within his reach and control.
As Verombeck was being transported to Baltimore Washington Medical Center, he admitted to killing Mr. Hudson. He was treated for minor injuries and soon after arrested. Veronmbeck agreed to speak with the detectives and provided a long and incoherent statement in which he said that he believed that Mr. Hudson, who lived directly above his apartment, had been spying on him for the last year.
During the investigation, police officers interviewed two witnesses. One witness said he heard the shooting and then looked into the staircase and called to check on Mr. Hudson's condition. The witness saw a white male with long hair who pointed a shotgun at him and said, "You're next." A second witness, who was present inside of the apartment building during the shooting, was interviewed and saw a white male holding a shotgun in the stairwell. During a photographic array, both witnesses positively identified Verombeck as the person who they saw holding a shotgun and pointing it at the victim.
Police officers also interviewed a leasing agent at the Colonial Square Apartments who informed them that Mr. Hudson had attempted to obtain a peace order against Verombeck for an incident that occurred on February 16, 2019. In his petition for a peace order, Mr. Hudson stated that Verombeck threatened him and gave him the death gesture which he described as using his thumbs across his throat. The victim was granted an interim protective order and a temporary peace order hearing was scheduled for February 19, 2019. At the temporary protective order hearing, Mr. Hudson testified about the incident but the court did not grant Mr. Hudson's request for a peace order.