many twists. Blake is now free, and prosecutors are barred from charging
him again in a murder in which police said he implicated himself.
Sept. 19, 2002: Straughan Lee Griffin, 51, is shot in the head and killed as he
unloads groceries outside his home near State Circle in Annapolis. The attackers
steal his sport-utility vehicle and run over him as they flee.
Oct. 26, 2002: Blake, then 17, is arrested and charged by Annapolis
police one day after Terrence Tolbert, then 19, was charged with the same crimes.
Both live in the 1300 block of Tyler Ave. in Annapolis.
Nov. 1, 2002: Blake is indicted on a charge of first-degree murder. On Nov. 22,
Tolbert is indicted on charges including first- and second-degree murder.
June 3, 2003: Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Pamela L. North rules that
statements Blake made to police cannot be used against him at his trial because
the police violated his legal rights.
Oct. 29, 2003: A three-judge Court of Special Appeals panel reverses North’s
decision. Prosecutors move forward with plans for a trial.
May 12, 2004: Maryland’s highest court, the Court of Appeals, rules that police
improperly questioned Blake.
Jan. 12, 2005: Tolbert is convicted of armed carjacking and several related
counts after an appeals process — including a denial by the Supreme Court to
hear the case — failed to exclude his comments to police.
Feb. 24, 2005: Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Ronald A. Silkworth
sentences Tolbert to life in prison without parole.
April 18, 2005: The Supreme Court agrees to hear the case regarding Blake’s
statements at the request of Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran Jr.
Nov. 1, 2005: The Supreme Court hears arguments about the Blake case.
Nov. 14, 2005: The Supreme Court dismisses the case, ensuring Blake will not go to
trial on state charges. Under state law, prosecutors cannot continue with the case
when they lose such an appeal. The law has since been changed to exempt homicides.
Source: News reports, court documents
The police department that arrested and charged Blake and Tolbert with Griffin’s murder was incorrectly identified when this timeline was published in the print edition. The Sun regrets the error.
