CALVERT COUNTY, Md. — Brandon Holbrook, the man accused of killing popular D.C. photographer Joe Shymanski, was in Calvert County court Friday to face charges for the murder after being extradited from Pennsylvania.
Editor's Note: Some of the details in this story may be disturbing to some readers.
Thursday evening, Holbrook arrived in Calvert County for the first time since investigators say he was here Labor Day weekend. He was arrested more than two weeks ago at his Reedsville, Pennsylvania home.
The sheriff's office says sometime around Sept. 4, Holbrook drove nearly four hours from his home to Shymanski's home where sources say prosecutors will allege he shot him in his driveway.
Before Holbrook appeared in court, WUSA9 was able to obtain documents providing further details of what investigators say happened.
On Sept. 4, Heather Snyder, Joe's ex-wife, reported him missing. Through an initial investigation, detectives learned that a neighbor last saw him the day before at 4 p.m. His only vehicle and cellphone were left at his residence.
Detectives returned the next day and located evidence of blood on the driveway at Shymanski's home.
Detectives interviewed Snyder, and during that process they learned that Holbrook was her last significant other. She also stated that Holbrook expressed anger toward her ex-husband due to "what he put her through" in their relationship.
After the interview, the sheriff's office used license plate reader data and was able to capture Holbrook's white Dodge pickup truck with Pennsylvania plates. Holbrook and his truck were located at his home on Sept. 5 by Calvert County's Criminal Investigative Unit, and he agreed to go with them to the local police station.
“While at [Holbrook's] residence Detectives could smell the odor of decomposition omitting from the back of the Dodge pickup truck," the documents stated. "The truck had a secured cap on it and the smell was extremely strong.”
Though it was secured with a cap, maggots were located crawling all over the back of the truck.
“There was human blood along with pieces of human remains with hair located in the bed of the truck that was collected," court documents say. "There were also brand new packages of plastic located in the truck along with disposable gloves. During a luminol test of the bed of the truck it yielded a large area that was positive for human blood as well."
Through a further search, inside of a storage shed there was a second open package of clear plastic, a bleach container and spray cleaners. The bag contained a receipt from a local store in Pennsylvania dated Sept. 4 around 10 a.m.
In court, the prosecutor said Holbrook decapitated Shymanski’s body and then burned and dismembered his remains. He also said investigators found Joe’s head “a couple hundred yards from [Holbrook’s] home.”
In addition, the prosecutor said Holbrook took some body parts in a garbage bag to the parking lot of a nearby store, dumped the remains, threw away the garbage bag and went inside to shop.
Holbrook is facing charges of first-degree murder, second-degree murder, first-degree assault, and other charge deemed appropriate by the District Court Commissioner.
On Friday, Holbrook told the judge that despite several convictions for indecent exposure in public places, he has “no history of violence whatsoever” and “no intention to flee.”
But the judge wasn’t buying it and ordered him held with no bail until his next court date on Oct. 20.
"I feel angry, I feel sad, I feel confused," said longtime close friend of Shymanski's and fellow Easter Market artist Leah Sturgis.
Sturgis said the details coming to light about her friend's alleged murder are hard to hear.
"It's too big. I really can't even imagine how his children are," she said of Shymanski's two young children.
Friends are planning a memorial service for Shymanski later this month.