Man charged in double homicide of grandmother, granddaughter reaches surprise plea deal before trial

Kate Amara | WBAL TV | March 17, 2026 | Original Source

MIDDLE RIVER, Md. —

The man charged with killing a Middle River grandmother and her granddaughter accepted a plea deal on Tuesday.

It marked a surprise ending to a long day of jury selection at the Baltimore County Circuit Courthouse.

After more than eight hours, the 153 potential jurors were sent home and told they didn't need to return.

Bryan Cherry, 38, accepted a deal to plead guilty to two counts of first-degree murder for killing Iona Sellers, 75, and Autumn Harvey, 29, in July 2024.

The rest of the charges will be nolle prossed, with sentencing expected to happen at a later date.

At the hearing, the state said it will recommend life without parole for the first murder count, and a concurrent life sentence for the second.

The defense declined to share a statement on the plea deal.

In a statement, Baltimore County State's Attorney Scott Shellenberger said: "We are extremely pleased that the families of the victims in this case will see that justice has been served, and the public will be protected while he serves life without parole."

Attorneys for both sides did not touch on why or how the plea deal happened. However, during voir dire, there were glimpses of the state's trial evidence and strategy, along with how the jury felt about it.

Both women suffered severe blunt-force trauma and lost a great amount of blood.

A significant portion of the jury pool said they'd have trouble seeing the images and said they had strong feelings about an elderly murder victim. They also said they would give great weight to science-based evidence like DNA and digital forensics.