Man Charged After Couple Followed From Baltimore Market

Couple Was Followed After Breakfast at Broadway Market

A Baltimore man is being held without bail after police said a couple was followed from Broadway Market before an assault and robbery that left 76-year-old Claudia Bismark dead and her husband injured. Montray McCray, 32, was arrested Oct. 1 and charged with assault, robbery and reckless endangerment.

Baltimore police said the attack happened around 9:34 a.m. Sept. 29 in the 1700 block of Fleet Street in Fells Point. Local reporting said the couple had been walking together after breakfast when the attack occurred. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators tracked the pair’s movements through the neighborhood before the robbery, according to CBS Baltimore. Bismark and her 60-year-old husband, Wade Wilson, were taken to a hospital after the robbery. Bismark died from her injuries two days later.

Charging Documents Describe a Suspect Watching the Couple

CBS Baltimore reported that charging documents describe McCray as watching Bismark and Wilson while they were at Broadway Market, where the couple had gone for breakfast. The documents say the suspect followed them after they left and later approached them on Fleet Street.

Police said both victims were knocked to the ground and a wallet was taken before the attacker fled. Surveillance video became part of the investigation, and CBS reported that the defense has already signaled it will challenge whether McCray is the person shown in that footage.

The Baltimore Police Department said warrant-apprehension detectives located McCray on South Carrollton Avenue on Oct. 1. He was taken to the Central Booking Intake Facility on the assault, robbery and reckless-endangerment charges.

Bismark’s Death Changed the Legal Posture

Bismark died the same day McCray was arrested. Baltimore police then classified the case as a homicide and said upgraded charges were pending.

At McCray’s first court appearance on Oct. 2, prosecutors said the state’s attorney’s office was working on homicide charges but had not yet formally filed them, CBS Baltimore reported. A judge ordered McCray held without bail after finding that he posed a danger to the community.

McCray’s public defender disputed the tentative identification and indicated the defense would scrutinize the surveillance evidence. The current charges remain allegations, and McCray has not been convicted in connection with the attack or Bismark’s death.

Bismark Was a Longtime Fells Point Artist

Bismark was known in the neighborhood as an artist with longstanding ties to Fells Point. Local residents and business owners described Bismark and Wilson as familiar members of the community who regularly spent time in the area.

A candlelight vigil was held after Bismark’s death. The Baltimore Banner and local television stations reported that neighbors gathered near the place where the couple had been attacked, while Wilson continued recovering from his injuries.

The charging documents add another layer to that sequence. CBS Baltimore reported that investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the market and surrounding streets while reconstructing the couple’s movements before the attack. The defense has indicated that identification from that footage will be contested, making the video evidence a central issue as the case moves forward.

McCray’s current detention also reflects the court’s immediate assessment of the pending charges. At the Oct. 2 hearing, the judge ordered him held without bail, while prosecutors made clear that Bismark’s death required additional charging work rather than an automatic change to the existing counts.

The case now turns on the evidence connecting McCray to the robbery and on the additional homicide charges prosecutors said they were preparing. The central sequence remains unusually specific: a couple ate breakfast at a familiar neighborhood market, left together, and investigators say the person later accused in the attack had been watching and following them before the robbery.

References: Documents Show Suspect Stalked Baltimore Couple at Fells Point Market Before Deadly Attack | Central District Homicide Investigation and Arrest | Man Accused of Killing Fells Point Artist Followed Couple Before Attack