Man, 87, Charged In 91-Year-old's Death

Ah, the new media: A Sun story in WaPo on Howard's first homicide charge of the year:

They were two elderly men living out their days at Harmony Hall, an assisted living facility in Columbia. James W. Brown and Earl Lafayette Wilder didn't know each other, according to an official at the facility, and might not have had any contact until Aug. 14.

Now, Brown, 91, is dead, and Wilder, 87, has been charged with killing him that afternoon in an incident outside the home. It was Howard County's first homicide of the year.

Joseph LaVerghetta, general counsel for Harmony Hall's owner, said it isn't clear what triggered the incident.

"Nobody knows what happened,'' LaVerghetta said. "It's shocking. It's sad, a very strange thing."

Police said Brown was sitting on a bench outside Harmony Hall when Wilder struck him in the head.