Man convicted for burglary and assault charges from 2009 incident

On Wednesday, a man was convicted by a Wicomico County jury for burglary and assault charges stemming back to a 2009 incident.

According to a release from the Office of the State’s Attorney for Wicomico County, on August 3, 2009, around 1:20AM, deputies and detectives from the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home on Snow Hill Road in Salisbury for a home invasion in progress.

When they arrived, deputies say they spoke with the victims, a couple in their mid-eighties, along with their three great grandchildren.  

The victims told the deputies that two men, wearing hooded sweatshirts and sunglasses, had broken into their home and demanded money.  

According to officials, the eldest victim, who was 86-years-old at the time, and his 14 year old great grandson, fought with the burglars in order to try to protect their family.  During the fight, the report says that the 86-year-old victim was hit in the head, causing them to suffer a fractured skull.

At that time, there were no identifiable suspects; however, in November of 2015, Thomas Frank Lurie, Jr., 46, was identified as a suspect through the course of the continuing investigation. 

Officials say that Lurie’s DNA was found to be a match to DNA recovered from pieces of evidence found at the crime scene.  

Lurie has been convicted of first degree burglary, armed robbery, robbery, and first degree assault, however sentencing has been postponed in this matter.

The defendant is being help at the Wicomico County Detention Center pending sentencing, and he is facing a maximum of 55 years in prison.