'Why was he out?': Family of slain woman, grandmother question suspect's violent past

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD. (WBFF) — A family is demanding answers as the man charged with murdering a Middle River woman and her grandmother was scheduled to make his first court appearance in Baltimore County this week.

Bryan Cherry, 36, is charged with the first degree murders of Autumn Harvey, 29, and her grandmother Iona Sellers, 75.

Cherry waived his bond hearing inside Baltimore County District Court Tuesday.

Court officials confirm he remains in custody in Baltimore City where he’s charged with three other violent and separate crimes, including murder, attempted murder and an assault.

Baltimore County Police announced Cherry’s arrest last week.

According to court documents, investigators tracked him down through surveillance video, bank records, Sellers’ credit cards were stolen and used, and DNA.

Cherry was already in custody and had been since July 14th.

Cherry is accused of the following crimes in Baltimore City:

June 24:Assault on convenience store worker where the victim was stabbed

June 26:Attempted murder of a medical facility worker where the victim was stabbed at least eight times, according to court documents.

July 14:Murder of Sierra Johnson, 38, who was found beaten to death inside a home on Abbott Court. In some court documents Cherry has the same listed address.

Records show and police confirm an arrest warrant was first issued for his arrest July 1, following the attempted murder case.

Harvey and Sellers were believed to have been murdered in their home several days later, on July 6.

Further digging into court records shows Cherry was out on pretrial release for a pending drug trial in Baltimore City at the time all four of these violent crimes were committed and already had a history of violence including a 2018 armed robbery where his entire sentence was suspended.

The City State’s Attorney’s Office reported Cherry was ordered a drug assessment and treatment as part of his pretrial release for the pending drug trial.

A request for further detail of the terms of his release has been submitted to the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

But even more questions remain after the record shows prior to being granted pre-trial release, Cherry’s bond was revoked in the case once before, in October 2023.

“We're just more heartbroken than anything, " said Harvey’s aunt Shannon Mclaughlin, pausing to hold back her tears. “ I'm sorry. My brother is beyond devastated. Autumn was his only child. She was his life.”

Mclaughlin says the details of the crime, Cherry’s criminal history and the handling of prior cases is not sitting well with the family.

“That’s all we have spoken about is why he was out?” questioned Mclaughlin. “The officer who took the report stated that he was a menace to society. Why was he even out? His background was absolutely ridiculous. You could tell he had a violent past. He had no reason to be out on the street and now somebody has to answer for these murders. Somebody has to and I’m not going to stop until someone answers me. Why was he out?

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services acknowledged our request but said the Department needed more time for the inquiry.

Cherry has scheduled preliminary hearings in Baltimore City on September 9, followed by a preliminary hearing in Baltimore County on September 20.