On April 9, 2025, following an 8-day trial, a Calvert County jury convicted Brandon Ross Holbrook of the murder of Joseph Shymanski. Shymanski, a prominent Washington, DC, photographer and businessman, was shot by Holbrook in the driveway of his home on September 3, 2023. Holbrook then transported the body to his home in Reedsville, PA, where he dismembered and burned it.
Investigators recovered Mr. Shymanski’s remains and developed Holbrook as a suspect. Video evidence identified Holbrook’s vehicle as being in the vicinity of Mr. Shymanski’s home at the time of the shooting. Forensic evidence linked Holbrook to the dismemberment and burning of the body.
Holbrook will be sentenced on July 18, 2025. The State is seeking life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State’s Attorneys Benjamin G. Lerner and Christopher J. Monte.