Opinion ID: 2167219
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: The tragic and inexcusable death of Brandon Malstrom arose from what otherwise was a happy occasion for Brandon and his friends. On November 9, 2002, the University of Maryland football team won its Homecoming game against Atlantic Coast Conference rival North Carolina State. That meant it was party time. Brandon spent the day with his brother, Bill. Around 11:30 in the evening, the two of them, along with their friends, Brandon Conheim, Matt Swope, Matt Mitchell, and Paul Speakman, ended up at two parties on Dickerson Avenue, in College Park, a mile or so from the campus. The parties, which had begun around 9:30 that evening, were taking place in adjoining houses and back yards, and seemed to be winding down by the time the group arrived. Another group, consisting of Schlamp, Quan Davis, Robert Fournier, Jacob Adams, and Kenny Brock, who were neither students at the University nor invited guests, were also at the parties. Schlamp, Adams, and Fournier had spent the afternoon at Fournier's house watching the football game on television and drinking beer. Fournier said that he and Schlamp had consumed between 15 and 20 bottles of beer during the day. Adams stated that he had consumed eight or nine bottles of beer. At some point, they made arrangements to go to College Park that evening to join one or more of the parties. On their way, they stopped at a liquor store to replenish their supply, where they encountered Davis and three of his friends. They informed Davis that they were headed to a party and made arrangements for Davis to join them. The Schlamp and Davis groups joined up in College Park and proceeded first to the home of Fournier's friend, Patrick. [2] Some time around midnight, when they finished partying there, they found their way to the parties on Dickerson Avenue. Most of the Schlamp group, including Schlamp, were drunk. Adams testified that, in addition to the beer, Schlamp had begun drinking grain alcohol. There was evidence that the Schlamp group, and Schlamp in particular, acted in a boorish, obnoxious manner, deliberately instigating verbal confrontations with other people at the Dickerson Avenue parties. Scott Ehrlich, who hosted one of the parties at his home, characterized the scene as basically just typical college scene that you might see people acting tough, and one person acting tough, another person acting tough, sort of trying to hold their own ground. There was no evidence of any fights, prior to the encounter during which Brandon was stabbed, because the people confronted either backed off or a third person, often Ehrlich, intervened. Matt Swope confirmed Ehrlich's observation, reciting that, although there was a lot of aggressive talking, and threatening, there was no attacking, or fights. Bill Malstrom said essentially the same thing  that there were a lot of verbal confrontations and that, when someone got in my brother's face, Ehrlich diffused the situation. One particular confrontation that was mentioned occurred when Davis, while in Ehrlich's house, allegedly rubbed against a female guest in a way that made her uncomfortable and one or more of the men demanded that he leave. Most of the 20 to 30 people remaining at the parties seemed to be in the back yards. At one point, Davis showed Adams a knife he was carrying. Adams described it as a Rambo knife  big and sharp, with a serrated edge. Eventually, apparently on the heels of the confrontation with Davis, Ehrlich asked everyone to leave, and, he said, they did. Brandon and his group left the back yard and congregated for a time in the street. While there, Schlamp, with his group in tow, approached Brandon's group, accused them of taking either Schlamp's or Davis's cell phone, and demanded its return or that they empty their pockets for inspection. Brandon responded that no one had the cell phone (and, indeed, no one did), and refused to empty his pockets or turn over his own cell phone. At that time, Schlamp pushed Brandon  Bill Malstrom referred to it as a real weak swing  whereupon Fournier grabbed Brandon from behind to immobilize him. Bill Malstrom and Conheim attempted to pull Fournier off of Brandon. It was allegedly during that encounter, which everyone agreed lasted less than thirty seconds, that Brandon was stabbed. Although Davis was present, and Brandon Conheim said that he seemed to be favoring his hip like that, reaching for something, no one saw the stabbing; no one could say who did it. No one was really sure that it occurred during that encounter. As noted, both Schlamp and Davis were acquitted of murder and first degree assault. While this brief fracas was taking place, a police car turned into the street, Matt Mitchell yelled police, and most of the people scattered. No one knew at that point that Brandon had been stabbed. Conheim and Mitchell told the officer that Schlamp was the one who started the incident, and Schlamp was taken into custody. With the arrival of the police, some of Brandon's group returned, but no one could find Brandon. Eventually, he was discovered in Ehrlich's back yard, on the ground, mortally wounded. He was taken to the hospital, where, despite four or five hours of rescusitative effort, he died. [3]