Columbia Teen Pleads Guilty to Assaulting Jogger

September 15, 2009

A Columbia teenager has pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in an attack on a jogger last March. At a hearing before Howard County Circuit Court Judge Lenore R. Gelfman this morning, Vernon Leroy Costley, 19, of the 7100 block of Talisman Lane in Columbia, pleaded guilty to stabbing the jogger as he ran along the 5700 block of Columbia Road near Brook Way. The jogger sustained a superficial stab wound to the lower back and was treated and released by emergency room physicians the evening of the incident.

Assistant State’s Attorney Ned Curry told the court that as police and detectives worked the crime scene on March 19, 2009, a citizen from a nearby apartment complex alerted them to a small, folding knife that was found outside of her residence. She gave permission for a police search of her residence where officers located Costley, and he agreed to accompany officers back to the police station for questioning. At the police station, Costley was advised of his Miranda rights and, during questioning, admitted to stabbing the jogger. Curry stated that DNA analysis revealed that, in the absence of an identical twin, blood found on the knife matched the DNA profile of the victim.

Judge Gelfman set a sentencing date of January 8, 2010, and ordered a psychological evaluation of Costley. She also revoked his bond and remanded him to the Howard County Detention Center to await sentencing. Curry stated that, at sentencing, he will ask for three years of active incarceration (a seven-year sentence, suspending all but three years) and a restitution judgment of $1,630. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Costley, who has no prior adult criminal record, is free to seek a lesser sentence.