Man sentenced to life for murder-for-hire

A federal judge in Baltimore has sentenced two men convicted in a murder-for-hire scheme to life in prison Friday.Solothal Thomas, also known as “Itchy Man,” and Edward Countess were convicted in June on five counts relating to their participation in a 2001 slaying in Baltimore County that involved shooting a man 15 times to get back at him for robbing a high-profile drug dealer.U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake, calling the crime “a cold-blooded murder for hire,” described the sentence as “what the statute required, what the advisory guidelines required, and what justice required.”The men were convicted of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit a murder-for-hire. They also were convicted of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime or violent crime resulting in death. In addition, Countess was convicted of conspiracy to distribute marijuana.The jury found that Thomas and Countess murdered 33-year-old Jesse Williams in Baltimore County on Oct. 2, 2001.Thomas and Countess ambushed Williams as he was getting into his car. Prosecutors argued that the killing was a contract murder ordered by Tyree Stewart, a Baltimore drug dealer, in retaliation for being robbed in 1999.Thomas, Countess and three other men were paid a total of $10,000 for killing Williams.Thomas and Countess argued they were not subject to the jurisdiction of the federal courts and refused to participate in the federal case. For that reason, they were taken out of the courtroom, and the trial went on without them.Danta Thomas, 35, and Linwood Smith, 42, were also charged in this case. They have pleaded guilty to charges relating to their participation in the murder.Stewart, 32, of Joppa, and Corey Smith, 29, have pleaded guility in a separate case to engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. They have admitted to ordering a contract killing on behalf of their drug organization.