A man convicted over the brutal beating of two elderly pro-life sidewalk counselors outside of a Baltimore Planned Parenthood will be retried after a jury could not come to a verdict on a first-degree felony assault charge last month.
Patrick Brice, 28, will be retried by state prosecutors over the 2023 beating of Mark Crosby and Richard Schaefer outside of Planned Parenthood that left them both bloodied. At the time of the attack, Crosby was 84 years old. Schaefer was 73.
Brice was convicted last month on four lesser counts related to the attack but dodged the more serious first-degree assault charge due to a hung jury.
Brice was convicted on two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of reckless endangerment and was set to be sentenced on March 20 before the decision to retry the first-degree assault charge.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates told The Baltimore Banner that his office is “supporting victims and witnesses of crimes and ensuring justice is served in Baltimore.”
“While we understand the victim’s frustrations, we have made every effort to ensure they fully understand the process and have access to the necessary support,” Bates said. “As this is an open and ongoing matter, we will continue to provide this support throughout the case resolution process.”
A pre-trial conference on the case is slated for Friday. A conviction on first-degree felony assault could carry a 25-year prison sentence.
Crosby previously told The Daily Wire that he would be willing to go back to court to have the case retried, saying he was surprised that the jury did not come to a consensus.
The footage shows Brice tackling Schaefer into a large potted plant after a heated exchange. Crosby then runs over to help Schaefer before he is forced to the ground. The video then shows Brice punching Crosby in the face and kicking him in the head.
“I call it attempted murder. If you watch the video, he actually is straddling me and he hits me double fisted,” Crosby said.
Crosby was hospitalized after the attack and treated for a fractured bone in his face, blindness in one eye, head and neck pain, two fractured fingers, and bruising on his arms and legs.
Crosby believed that one of the reasons for the attack was that he and Schaefer had been effective in convincing women to turn to a nearby crisis pregnancy center. He previously told The Daily Wire that both men have frequently returned to the Planned Parenthood after the attack.
