Baltimore County man pleads guilty in 2024 Middle River killings of grandmother Iona Sellers and granddaughter Autumn Harvey
Guilty plea closes a major step in a Middle River double-homicide case
A Baltimore County man has pleaded guilty in connection with the 2024 killings of a grandmother and her adult granddaughter who were found dead inside a Middle River home, bringing a significant procedural turning point in a case that drew sustained attention across the county’s eastern communities.
The victims were identified as Iona Sellers, 75, and Autumn Harvey, 29. Police found both women on July 7, 2024, during a welfare check at a residence on Taos Circle in Middle River. Investigators treated the deaths as a double homicide and examined the scene for indications of forced entry and other evidence relevant to how the suspect gained access to the home.
How investigators tied the case to a suspect
Charging records and subsequent court proceedings indicate detectives pursued physical and digital evidence from the neighborhood, including video from surveillance systems, while also processing items recovered at the scene for forensic comparison. Investigators developed a suspect in the weeks that followed and moved toward charges after forensic work linked evidence from the Middle River scene to a separate Baltimore City homicide investigation from mid-July 2024.
Authorities ultimately charged Bryan Demetric Cherry, 36, with two counts of first-degree murder in the Baltimore County case. He was held without bond as the case proceeded through pretrial stages.
Timeline of key events in the case
July 7, 2024: Police conducting a welfare check discovered Sellers and Harvey dead inside a Middle River home.
August 2024: Cherry was charged with two counts of first-degree murder in Baltimore County; bail-related proceedings were scheduled and later postponed as he remained in custody on other matters.
2025: Cherry faced additional serious criminal proceedings in Baltimore City, including an attempted murder conviction in a separate case, while the Baltimore County double-homicide case remained pending.
2026: Cherry entered a guilty plea resolving the Baltimore County case involving Sellers and Harvey.
What a guilty plea means procedurally
In Maryland criminal practice, a guilty plea generally ends the need for a jury trial and shifts the case toward sentencing, where the court considers the plea agreement terms (if any), the evidence supporting the conviction, and victim impact statements. In cases involving multiple serious charges across jurisdictions, scheduling and custody logistics can affect the pace of court hearings and the timing of sentencing.
The case unfolded alongside other pending matters involving the defendant, complicating early scheduling and bail review while proceedings in both Baltimore County and Baltimore City moved forward.
Court records reflect that the Middle River investigation and subsequent prosecution developed over many months, with forensic comparisons and parallel proceedings playing central roles. With the guilty plea entered, the next major milestone is the court’s sentencing process, which will determine the formal punishment for the killings of Sellers and Harvey.