Anthony Grandison was born on January 6, 1953, and lived in Baltimore, Maryland. Before his involvement in the murders, he was a known drug dealer operating in the area. His criminal lifestyle placed him under law enforcement scrutiny, and in 1983, he was facing federal drug charges. Grandison was determined to avoid prison and became desperate to eliminate the key witnesses set to testify against him. While incarcerated and awaiting trial, he used his connections on the outside to plot a deadly solution—eliminating the witnesses before they could speak in court.

On April 28, 1983, Grandison orchestrated the murders of David Piechowicz and Susan Kennedy, who were scheduled to testify against him in a federal drug case. He recruited Vernon Evans Jr., a known hitman, to carry out the execution-style killings at the Warren House Motel in Pikesville, Maryland. The murders were cold and calculated—Evans entered the motel lobby and shot both victims in the head. Tragically, Susan Kennedy was not the original intended female target; she was covering her sister’s shift that day.

The murders shocked the community and triggered a massive investigation. Both Grandison and Evans were eventually arrested, tried, and sentenced to death. Grandison was convicted in 1984 and sent to Maryland’s death row, where he remained for decades.

In 2014, outgoing Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley commuted the death sentences of all remaining death row inmates, including Grandison, citing the state’s repeal of the death penalty. Grandison’s sentence was converted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. He remains incarcerated, serving his time for orchestrating one of Maryland’s most infamous contract killings tied to drug crime and witness silencing.