Elderly protester to face attacker in new trial
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A brutal assault on a 73-year-old pro-life advocate outside a Baltimore Planned Parenthood facility has taken a new turn, with prosecutors announcing plans to retry the attacker on first-degree assault charges.
Mark Crosby received welcome news Thursday when the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office confirmed their intention to pursue a retrial of 28-year-old Patrick Brice for the May 2023 attack that left Crosby with severe facial injuries.
“We have to win this,” Crosby told Blaze News. “He’s got to go to jail, or the pro-aborts will think they can get away with this.”
Last month’s trial resulted in Brice’s conviction on second-degree assault and reckless endangerment charges for attacks on both Crosby and 84-year-old Dick Schaefer. While jurors acquitted Brice of first-degree assault against Schaefer, they deadlocked on the same charge regarding Crosby’s attack, which was captured on surveillance footage.
Please pray for my dear friend, Mark Crosby. He was viciously attacked yesterday, May 26, 2023 while he was praying in front of Planned Parenthood in Baltimore City. He and another prolifer were attacked from behind and th…
Full Post: https://t.co/d6GSNosXts pic.twitter.com/dmNnELXGwM— Catholic Connect (@ConnectCatholic) May 29, 2023
The incident occurred as Crosby and Schaefer conducted their regular pro-life advocacy outside the facility. After Brice initially attacked Schaefer, knocking him unconscious against a flower pot, he turned on Crosby who had rushed to help. The assault left Crosby with a shattered cheekbone, fractured eye socket, and significant vision impairment.
Following Thursday’s announcement, Crosby reported a disturbing encounter with Brice outside the courthouse, describing how his attacker smirked and waved at him in what seemed like a taunting gesture.
Attorney Terrell Roberts, representing Crosby through the Thomas More Society, expressed optimism about the retrial. He emphasized that the new proceedings would focus more heavily on the severity of Crosby’s injuries, including permanent iris damage and extreme photosensitivity.
“Next time around, this is going to be front and center,” Roberts told Blaze News, referring to medical evidence including CT scans showing severe orbital bone fractures. He anticipates the trial will occur before August.
Blaze News original:
Patrick Brice 28 ON VIDEO https://t.co/0ArbvHcWgq
Schaefer 84 was knocked cold
He punched then kicked Mark Crosby 73 in the face while he is lying on the ground
you meant to do real harm!HORRIBLE decision by the jury
staunch pro-abortion MUCH?
PRISON!!!— kimc (@kimc85627436729) February 28, 2025
During the previous trial, Brice’s defense attorney, Matthew Connell, characterized the victims as “old white men” who view themselves as “religious martyrs.” Connell claimed his client “didn’t mean to hurt them that bad” and “made a mistake.”
The attack’s graphic surveillance footage reportedly caused visible distress among jurors, with some crying or averting their eyes during its courtroom presentation.
Brice’s sentencing for his current convictions, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been postponed until August 7 by Baltimore Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant. Meanwhile, Roberts plans to discuss potential hate crime charges with prosecutor Ashley Sudberry, citing the victims’ “pretty obvious” religious beliefs as a possible motivation for the attack.
Despite his ongoing recovery and persistent vision problems, Crosby remains committed to his advocacy. “I can live with that,” he said of his continuing symptoms. “Babies are being murdered. I give it up for them.”
