Teen Daughter, Boyfriend Held Without Bail in Blogger's Slaying

A 14-year-old girl and her 19-year-old boyfriend plotted the death of the girl's father, Howard County blogger Dennis Lane, as well as his significant other, charging documents in the case of Lane's slaying revealed Monday.

Both Morgan Arnold, 14, and Jason Bulmer, 19, were held without bail after brief hearings over a closed circuit television system at Howard County District Court on Monday.

According to police, on May 10 Bulmer stabbed Lane multiple times at the family home in a plan to kill Lane and his partner, Denise Geiger, and then flee to California. Geiger was unharmed.

The charging documents are based on a police interview with Bulmer, who spoke with detectives on Friday after Lane was found dead.

Lane was a prominent voice in Howard County and wrote frequently on his community blog "Tales of Two Cities" using the pseudonym Wordbones.

Bulmer told police that Arnold directed him to stab her father “in the throat 10 times and then to stab Geiger in the throat 15 times while the two were sleeping,” according to charging documents.

Bulmer told police that Arnold told him, “I have my reasons" for the specific directions, "and I’ll tell you later,” according to charging documents. 

On Monday, a diminutive Arnold sat with a public defender in a small white room inside the Howard County Detention Center. She wore a yellow prison jumpsuit and sat with her arms crossed, tapping her right foot on the floor.   

Her mother, Cindi Arnold, sat in the front row of the courtroom. Her eyes began to tear up when her daughter appeared on the closed circuit television. Arnold told the judge she understood her rights and waived her right to a bail review. 

Cindi Arnold, a Catonsville resident, did not comment to reporters as she left the courthouse. In a previous statement, however, she referred to her daughter as a "very fragile special-needs child," the Baltimore Sun reported. 

Bulmer, who appeared later, asked for a bail review. The public defender stated Bulmer had no prior convictions, no money, little resources and had been living in Maryland for four years.

Linda Long, a spokesperson for Howard County Public Schools, confirmed Bulmer is a senior at Mt. Hebron High School, although the public defender said he was in 10th grade during the court proceeding.

Assistant state’s attorney Doug Nelsen said Bulmer is a danger to the community, to himself and to witnesses of the crime. The judge ordered Bulmer held without bail.

Throughout Bulmer’s interview with police he told investigators that Arnold had plotted the killing, according to charging documents. He said they had discussed the plot for about two months before the crime and their communications about it became more frequent in the past several weeks, according to police.

Bulmer told police that Arnold said to him at Mt. Hebron High School, “I don’t know what I’ll do if you don’t do it tonight,” the day before the killing.

That night, Arnold left the rear door open to Lane’s Ellicott City home, allowing Bulmer to enter, according to charging documents. Before arriving at the house, Bulmer sent Arnold a picture of a kitchen carving knife he planned to use, which Arnold said was satisfactory, according to the charging documents.

Geiger called police after a fight inside the house. She identified Bulmer as the person who had struggled with Lane, according to charging documents. Bulmer was found in an upstairs bedroom with Arnold and admitted to killing Lane, saying Arnold told him to do it, according to charging documents.

Arnold is charged with conspiracy, first-degree murder and second-degree murder. She is scheduled to appear for a preliminary hearing on May 24, according to court records.

Bulmer is also charged with conspiracy, first- and second-degree murder. He is scheduled to appear at a preliminary hearing on June 7.

This article has been updated.