On the evening of December 17th, 2001, twenty-three-year-old Derrick Markel Peterson pulled into a parking space in front of his family’s apartment in the 9600 block of Barrel House Road at The Seasons Apartments complex in Laurel, Maryland. It was around nine p.m. As he stepped out of his blue 1998 Lincoln Town Car with a blue vinyl top, he was shot and killed. His body was found slumped partly out of the driver’s side door.
Derrick Peterson had graduated from Suitland High School and worked various jobs, including at an ice cream factory, Hecht’s department store, and UPS. He had saved money to buy the Lincoln he was driving that night. Described by his mother, Rose Peterson, as a “good son,” Derrick shared a close bond with her, especially after the death of his brother four years earlier. The two often went to movies and dinner together; he helped around the house and took pride in his responsibilities. He enjoyed basketball and football, rooting for the Lakers, Redskins, and Giants, and had no criminal record.
Rose Peterson was waiting at home that night, watching television as she always did until her son returned safely. Instead, two Howard County police officers delivered the devastating news. The family moved soon after the murder, as the location became too painful. Rose’s husband has since passed away, leaving her to continue seeking justice alone.
Responding officers found Derrick shot, likely by an assailant who approached from behind. Police quickly determined the killing was not random. Witnesses reported seeing a man running from the scene with what appeared to be a handgun in his right hand. He was carrying or had taken something else: a distinctive waist-length burgundy (appearing almost black) Coogi brand jacket that Derrick’s cousin had given him. The jacket was missing from the scene.
The suspect fled to a waiting getaway car: a light-colored sedan, possibly a four-door boxy model like a 1990s Chevrolet Caprice or Ford Crown Victoria. Two individuals were described: the shooter/runner was a Black man in his twenties, approximately five foot eight to five foot ten, weighing around 160–180 pounds; the driver was also a Black man in his twenties, described as “chubby,” about six foot three and 275 pounds.
The car sped away down Barrel House Road toward North Laurel Road after the shooting.
Initially, investigators considered robbery as a possible motive, perhaps for the jacket or other items. Over time, police shifted toward believing the murder stemmed from a personal “beef,” possibly drug-related. Trace amounts of marijuana and PCP were found on Derrick, though his mother maintained she never knew him to use drugs, and he was not a dealer. In 2011, on the ten-year anniversary, Howard County police released new details about the jacket and suspects, doubling the reward to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
The Howard County Police Department continues to list the case as a priority cold case and periodically highlights it in hopes of generating tips. But as of the twentieth anniversary in 2021 and beyond, no arrests have been made.
Crime Immemorial 