A Maryland judge accused of using a hidden video camera to record children in a bathroom at his fishing cabin died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot Friday as federal agents were moving in to arrest him, authorities said on Friday.
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Jonathan Gray Newell, 50, served as a circuit court judge in Caroline County on the state’s Eastern Shore. Criminal records unsealed this week revealed that when Newell was first questioned by investigators at his cabin in July, he was allowed to go to his bedroom to ostensibly charge his mobile phone but instead is alleged to have ingested an SD memory card he had furtively removed from the camera.
“The investigator heard a loud, distinguishable, ‘crunch,’ sound from the area of Newell’s mouth,” an FBI agent wrote in a criminal complaint. “After another minute or two, the investigator heard the same ‘crunch’ again from Newell’s mouth, followed by Newell immediately reaching for and drinking from a cup located on his dresser.”
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The next day, armed with a warrant for CT scans of Newell’s abdomen and pelvis, investigators escorted the judge to a nearby hospital. The images taken were described in a medical report cited in the FBI complaint: “18 mm linear possibly metallic foreign body within the small bowel. Diagnosis: Foreign Body Ingestion.”
No further details about the SD card were stated in the complaint.
Federal authorities briefly described how the judge died Friday morning as FBI agents closed in: “Upon entering the residence, the agents found Newell suffering from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound,” said a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Maryland. “He was pronounced dead at 6:43 a.m.”
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Family members for Newell could not be reached or declined to comment Friday.
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That office, as well as the Maryland State Police, which is investigating the incident, declined to comment further.
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Joseph Riley, the top prosecutor in Caroline County, confirmed the judge’s death was self-inflicted.
“This case is no longer about investigations and charges,” he said in a statement. “In my opinion, it is about supporting the families involved and helping our community heal.”
Born in Chestertown, Md., Newell earned a philosophy degree from Washington College and a law degree from the Washington & Lee University School of Law, according to state records. He served as public defender in Caroline County, a prosecutor in Kent County and then, in 2003, became the top prosecutor in Caroline County.
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He served that post for about 14 years.
“Newell focused on felony drug, sex offense and child abuse cases, plus a dozen murder cases,” wrote the Times Record of Denton, Md.
He became a judge in 2016.
Newell also spent time at a cabin in Fishing Creek, Md., and sometimes hosted juvenile guests overnight, according to court records.
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The morning of July 23, a teenage boy — approximately 15 — entered a bathroom adjacent to Newell’s bedroom to shower. He noticed what appeared to be a little camera, with a green blinking light, on a corner shelf tucked inside a small black utility crate, records state. The boy took pictures of it with his cellphone, according to the records.
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He went to find another teen to tell him about the camera. That’s when he saw Newell go into the bathroom and retreat to his bedroom with several items in his hand, according to the FBI criminal complaint.
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The boys went into the bathroom and the camera was gone.
A brief time later, each teen called his parents, telling them about the camera.
“Their parents then contacted law enforcement,” the FBI wrote.
Investigators arrived the same day.
Newell agreed to speak with them, saying 10 “members” come and go from the cabin. He denied placing a camera or noticing a camera in the bathroom.
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“After the interview concluded,” the FBI wrote, “Newell was permitted to go to his bedroom to plug his cell phone into a charger and make phone calls.”
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Newell took a seat on the bed, and was seen fidgeting with the chord and reaching under the bed. As Newell spoke on his phone, holding it to his ear with his left hand, he raised his closed right hand to his mouth, court records state.
That is when the investigator heard the crunching sounds, the FBI affidavit states, prompting the investigator to ask Newell to end his phone call and leave the bedroom.
Later, Newell was allowed to go back into this bedroom, where he retrieved a camera from under his bed and gave it to the investigators.
“The SD card slot was empty,” the FBI wrote. “The device appeared to be the same device Minor Victim 1 photographed in the bathroom earlier that morning.”
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Investigators searched the cabin, Newell’s home in Henderson, his truck, boat and office, seizing “numerous digital devices” — including a Toshiba external hard drive inside a safe in a den in the Henderson home, according to court records.
That device “revealed numerous videos of minor males showering,” the FBI wrote.
Investigators spoke with nine teenagers who had been to Newell’s cabin, home or both. Some had known Newell since elementary school. The boys said they showered in Newell’s bathrooms and that he regularly came in to check their bodies for ticks.
The criminal complaint, filed Thursday, charged Newell with one count of sexual exploitation of a child. It was the next morning, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, that FBI agents arrived at his Henderson home to try to arrest him.
Alice Crites contributed to this report.
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