Overview

• An independent audit of 87 in-custody deaths from 2003 to 2019 revealed 36 cases were misclassified as non-homicides, with unanimous agreement among reviewers that they should have been ruled homicides.
• The audit identified patterns of racial and pro-police bias, showing deaths of Black individuals and those involving police restraint were less likely to be classified as homicides.
• Nearly half of the disputed cases cited 'excited delirium' as a cause of death, a diagnosis widely discredited by the medical community and linked to police use-of-force justifications.
• Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order directing the attorney general and state police to review and potentially reopen the 36 disputed cases, while creating a statewide task force on in-custody death investigations.
• Families of decedents have been contacted regarding the findings, but official death classifications remain unchanged, and no new charges have been filed at this stage.