Baltimore man pleads guilty to 3 murders, drug conspiracy

A Baltimore man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to three murders and drug conspiracy charges, prosecutors said.

Harry Burton, 28, known as “Big Harry,” pleaded guilty to three counts of using a gun to commit a murder in aid of racketeering and one count of distributing cocaine and heroin, and could be sentenced to 60 years in prison in September, federal prosecutors said.

Prosecutors said that between 1999 and 2007, Burton was a member of the Latrobe Organization that operated in Latrobe Homes in East Baltimore and sold crack cocaine and heroin.

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Burton conspired to distribute more than 50 grams of crack cocaine, five kilograms of cocaine and more than a kilogram of heroin.

Burton and other members of the Latrobe Organization “promoted a climate of fear in Baltimore-area neighborhoods,” prosecutors said.

Burton killed Maurice “Smokey” Ireland on Jan. 27, 2003, in order to gain favor with a local drug dealer who supplied the Latrobe Organization, and on May 19, 2003, he killed Michael “Mike-Mike” Jones, a rival drug dealer from West Baltimore, prosecutors said.

Burton then arranged for his girlfriend, Valencia Jones, to be killed on June 20, 2003, believing she had set him up to be killed.

Burton is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 12. – Carolyn Peirce

Man critically injured after tree falls on him at home

A Millersville man was critically injured Sunday when a tree fell on him outside his house, Anne Arundel fire authorities said.

The man, 64, whose name was not released, was cutting a tree on the 8400 block of Woodland Road when it fell and struck him on the back, fire authorities said.

The tree was about 10 inches in diameter, authorities said.

The man was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore City with serious injuries, authorities said.

– Carolyn Peirce