WALDORF, MD — On September 23, 2005, at about 2:50 p.m., Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the Days Inn hotel in Waldorf for a report of an unconscious man. Deputies found 19-year-old Jerry Alan Wills III near the lobby front desk with a gunshot wound. The Waldorf resident, who worked at the hotel, died from his injuries. No arrests have been made in the case, which remains open as one of the county’s enduring cold cases.
Charles County Crime Solvers and the Sheriff’s Office are offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the arrest of suspects. Tips can be submitted anonymously by calling 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), texting “Charles” plus the tip to 274637 (CRIMES), or online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com. The P3 Tips mobile app also accepts submissions. Investigators emphasize that callers receive a tip number to track information without revealing identities.
The shooting occurred at the Days Inn, located at 11765 Marlboro Pike in a commercial corridor off U.S. Route 301, a main artery through Waldorf. The hotel, built in the late 1980s as part of the area’s suburban expansion, served travelers and locals in Charles County, then home to about 120,000 residents. Wills, described by family as a loving son and brother, enjoyed basketball, swimming and reading. His death left a mark on the community, where young workers at entry-level jobs like hotel clerk were common among high school graduates from Thomas Stone or North Point high schools.
Deputies arrived within minutes, standard for Waldorf’s central location, and secured the scene. Initial reports indicated Wills was alone at the desk when shot, possibly during a robbery attempt, though no cash or items were confirmed stolen. The single gunshot, likely from a handgun, struck Wills in the upper body, per autopsy findings from the state medical examiner’s office in Baltimore. No witnesses came forward immediately, and surveillance footage from the era—grainy VHS systems—yielded limited leads. The case file, now digitized in the Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit, includes ballistics from a .38- or .40-caliber weapon, unmatched to other crimes.
Under Maryland law, first-degree murder carries a life sentence without parole if premeditated, as classified here due to the targeted nature. First-degree assault and handgun use in a crime of violence add mandatory minimums of five years consecutive. The statute of limitations does not apply to murder, allowing indefinite pursuit.
The Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit, formed in 2010, dedicates four detectives to homicides older than two years. They revisit files using modern tools like genetic genealogy, absent in 2005 when DNA processing took months. Recent state grants, including $500,000 from the 2024 Board of Public Works for forensic enhancements, aid retesting. In Charles County, 12 homicides remain unsolved since 2000, per uniform crime reports, with tips solving three since 2020 via Crime Solvers.
Investigators canvassed nearby businesses, including a Wendy’s and auto parts store, but foot traffic that afternoon yielded no descriptions. A composite sketch, circulated in 2006, depicted a Black male in his 20s wearing a hoodie, based on a vague lobby sighting. Ballistics were entered into the federal Integrated Ballistic Information Network, linking to unsolved cases in Prince George’s County but no matches.
Anyone recalling vehicles in the lot—a gray sedan noted in reports—or unusual visitors should come forward.
The Sheriff’s Office urges vigilance: Report suspicious activity to 301-932-2222. Justice, 20 years on, hinges on one remembered detail.
