Friends remember Upper Marlboro woman as a good neighbor who loved life
An Upper Marlboro man has been charged with murder for shooting his girlfriend and dumping her body in a wooded area in Aquasco, resolving what authorities said was a mysterious disappearance two weeks ago.
Aaron Dion Spriggs, 33, was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree murder in the death of 45-year-old Maris Wilkerson, who lived with Spriggs in her house in the 9600 block of Meadow Lark Avenue, said Cpl. Erica Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Prince George's County Police Department. The arrest came two days after residents discovered Wilkerson's body in the woods near the 16000 block of St. Phillips Road in Aquasco, she said.
Wilkerson's body was sent to the state's medical examiner's office, which identified her using dental records and determined that she had died from a gunshot. Johnson said the shooting seems to have happened during an argument between the two, but she said she did not know what they were arguing about.
Friends and neighbors said they suspected foul play when Wilkerson went missing around 11:30 p.m. June 25.
"It was unusual for her," said Mildred Belton, a friend who lives on Wilkerson's street. Belton was discussing Wilkerson's death Friday morning with friends and neighbors near her house. "She was a very reliable person."
Another friend, Upper Marlboro resident Charles Rogers, described Wilkerson as a person who loved life. She had a hot rod and they used to race each other on nearby roads, he said.
"She was adventurous," he said. "She loved motorcycles, she loved race cars and hot rods."
Belton started crying and had to walk away for a moment.
"I'm going to miss that smile," she said. "I'm going to miss that sunshine she brought into this world."
Another neighbor, Granville Walker, said he did not know Wilkerson's boyfriend but said he used to see a man outside of her house.
"He was a loner, by himself most of the time," Walker said. "I always saw him by himself."
Spriggs has had two restraining orders issued against him on behalf of two different women in October 2006 and October 2007, according to online Prince George's County District Court records. The records did not list an attorney for him by Friday afternoon.
His preliminary hearing is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. Aug. 6 at the courthouse in Upper Marlboro.
E-mail Greg Holzheimer at gholzheimer@gazette.net.
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