According to the December 23, 1998 Baltimore Sun, city's 301st homicide victim was Rufus Washington, 41, of the 2300 block of Allendale Road, whose decomposing body was found by police early Monday in the woods at the edge of Gwynns Falls Park, near Cahill Recreation Center in the 4000 block of Clifton Ave. in West Baltimore. Police said the state medical examiner ruled that Washington's death was a homicide from blunt force trauma.
Detective Carol Opher said police were led to Washington's shallow grave by an informant who told investigators that four men beat Washington at the victim's home on the night of Nov. 13 during an argument over money he owed one of them. Police arrested Michael J. Stewart, 25, of the 1700 block of Gwynns Falls Parkway and charged him with first-degree murder in Washington's death. Stewart was being held without bail at the Central Booking and Intake Center, Opher said. Antonio Avon/Aron Warrington was arrested later and convicted in a weapons crime.
Michael J Stewart currently resides in the North Branch Correctional Institution in Cumberland, and Antonio Warrington enjoys riding a moped and also occasionally works as an unlicensed cab driver.