Video: Baltimore County homicide suspect tried to cut deal

Baltimore County (Map, News) - After confessing to stabbing his neighbor to death, tried to cut a deal with police, according to a videotaped interview played in court Wednesday.

“Hypothetically speaking, if one knew where there was a storage of guns and explosives, how would that help with this?” Garris, 38, asked Baltimore County homicide Detective David Jacoby. “I’m talking about some high-end guns, like bangers, assault rifles, hand grenades and sticks of dynamite.”

Jacoby told him no deal was possible for someone charged with first-degree murder. Baltimore County prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Garris, who is charged in the March 19, 2007, stabbing death of Chontae Waters, 31.

Garris lived next door to Waters on Heatherton Court in Woodlawn, and climbed into the townhouse¹s shared crawl space hoping to burglarize her home to feed his drug habit, police said. But Waters was home and interrupted the burglary, prompting Garris to stab her to death, police said.

Detectives were led to Garris by a trail of blood, Jacoby said.

“She hit me with something,” Garris said on the video. “... Sometimes I don’t believe it really happened. I wish it was a dream.”

In his interview with police, Garris asked Jacoby if he could be released from jail to a medical center.

“I’m trying to see if I could get to a treatment center,” he said. “I need some help.”

He also denied being involved in a series of burglaries around Johns Hopkins Hospital, even though a victim’s credit card was found in his pants.

Garris also drew the knife he used in the stabbing and gave the drawing to police.

Prosecutors played the video in Baltimore County Circuit Court as part of a motions hearing in which defense attorneys are trying to convince a judge to bar the confession from court.

Oral arguments are scheduled for June 12 at 2 p.m.

lbroadwater@baltimoreexaminer.com

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