Police Charge Crofton Man with Murder

A Crofton man was arrested Tuesday morning at a New York airport on a warrant charging him in the death of a Frederick County man whose body was found in the trunk of his car late last year.

According to a Maryland State Police, 51-year-old Michael A. Stahlnecker of the 1700 block of Fallsway Drive in Crofton is charged with first- and second-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony/violent crime.

Authorities arrested Stahlnecker around 6 a.m. Tuesday as he prepared to board a flight at the JFK International Airport, according to a police press release.

Police said the body of John P. Ryan, 37, of Frederick was found in his Lexus in a parking lot in the 15000 block of Somerville Drive in Derwood, MD, on Dec. 3, 2012. Police had been searching for Ryan since his wife reported him missing.

In the summer of 2012, the Frederick County Narcotics Task Force began an investigation into allegations that Ryan and associates were involved in the importation and distribution of marijuana, according to a press release. Stahlnecker was reportedly identified as a close associate of Ryan’s in the operation.

State Police homicide investigators believe Ryan had a meeting scheduled with Stahlnecker on the morning of Nov. 28, 2012, at a warehouse leased by the suspect in Laurel. Ryan’s blood was reportedly found near the back loading dock and on the bristles of a broom outside business.

Police said investigators believe evidence indicates Ryan was shot at the warehouse location and then driven in his car to the address in Montgomery County where his body was found in the trunk.

Stahlnecker is currently held on a fugitive warrant in New York pending extradition proceedings to return him to Maryland.

Police said a motive in the case has not been confirmed, however investigators determined Stahlnecker owed large amounts of money to several people.

Police said the investigation is ongoing.