A Charles County jury convicted Bryce Caleb Timothy Brown, 22, of Waldorf, of second-degree murder and related charges on December 16, 2025, following a seven-day trial in Charles County Circuit Court. State’s Attorney Tony Covington announced the verdict, which stemmed from the death of Gloristine Pinkney, 73, of Waldorf, during an incident on July 2, 2023, that began as a burglary at a Lowe’s store and ended in a fatal encounter at a nearby Home Depot.
The trial addressed events that unfolded in the early morning hours of July 2, 2023, around 12:40 a.m. Officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of a burglary in progress at the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in the 2500 block of Crain Highway, Waldorf. Store employees on the overnight shift reported hearing loud banging noises, and officers observed damage to the business’s roll-up doors and security gates.
Investigators later determined that Brown, then 20 and employed by Lowe’s at the time, stole a forklift from the fenced rear lot of the store. He used the machine to ram through the rear gates and roll-up door to exit the premises. Brown then drove the forklift approximately half a mile to the Home Depot parking lot on Jefferson Farm Place, where he struck a parked 2019 Lincoln MKZ.
Pinkney had been asleep inside her vehicle at the time of the collision. She exited the car and attempted to flee on foot. Brown pursued her with the forklift, struck her, and ran over her. Officers responding to reports of a loud scream at the Home Depot location discovered Pinkney’s body partially pinned beneath the forklift. She was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Brown fled the area in Pinkney’s vehicle. He used her credit card to purchase gasoline and traveled to locations in Washington, D.C., and Virginia before returning to his residence in Waldorf, where he was apprehended later that day. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office recovered Pinkney’s car near the suspect’s property.
Evidence linking Brown to the crimes included surveillance video from the Lowe’s store showing him operating the forklift and causing damage. DNA from the rear gate at Lowe’s was consistent with Brown’s profile. His fingerprints were found on Pinkney’s vehicle, and authorities located the victim’s car keys inside Brown’s residence along with a pair of shorts bearing Pinkney’s blood.
Initial reports from July 3, 2023, detailed the suspect’s capture and confirmed that Brown and Pinkney had no prior acquaintance, with the motive remaining under investigation at that time.
The jury found Brown guilty of second-degree murder, theft valued at $25,000 to under $100,000, fourth-degree burglary, malicious destruction of property, and additional related charges. He was acquitted of first-degree murder. Brown faces a maximum sentence of 58 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February 13, 2026, before a judge in Charles County Circuit Court.
This case highlights the investigative process in Charles County, where physical evidence such as DNA swabs, fingerprints, and video footage, combined with witness accounts, supported the prosecution’s case. Second-degree murder under Maryland law requires proof of depraved heart conduct or intent to inflict serious bodily harm resulting in death, without premeditation. The conviction follows a thorough trial that examined the sequence of events from the initial theft of the forklift to the fatal pursuit in the parking lot.
The case remains a notable example of how digital and forensic evidence can resolve complex incidents in the region.