Maryland Seeks to Block $18.5M Award in Inmate’s Death

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office is asking a Baltimore judge to cancel or reduce an $18.5 million award stemming from the murder of an inmate aboard a state prison bus.

The hearing is scheduled Monday afternoon in Baltimore City Circuit Court.

A jury awarded the damages in October to the parents and estate of Philip Parker Jr.

He was strangled in 2005 by inmate Kevin Johns during a bus ride from Hagerstown to Baltimore.

The jury found three correctional officers negligent and one grossly negligent for failing to prevent the murder and rendering little first aid afterward.

The state contends they’re immune from liability because they’re public officials.

Other motions seek to reduce the total award to $845,000. The state says that’s the most it’s required to pay.