Lydia R. Wingfield, 78, was murdered in her Baltimore apartment on August 31, 2005. A man who initially knocked and identified himself as a childhood friend of her son, calling himself Money, later forced entry. Raymont Hopewell, 34, raped and strangled Wingfield in her home.

Investigators linked her killing to a series of brutal attacks on elderly residents in West and Northwest Baltimore that began in 1999. Other victims connected to the same perpetrator included Constance Wills, 60; Sarah Shannon, 88; Sadie Mack, 78; and Carlton Crawford, 82. DNA evidence tied Hopewell to these crimes.

Hopewell was arrested on September 20, 2005. He later pleaded guilty to five counts of murder and four counts of rape, among other charges, and received multiple life sentences without the possibility of parole on September 12, 2006. Family members, including Wingfield’s son, spoke in court about their grief and anger; Hopewell’s brief apology drew their displeasure.

If anyone knew Lydia, her routines, or saw unfamiliar visitors in her building in late August 2005, please share what was remembered.