Police say Robert MacMeekin was shot on his back patio after trying to protect his grandchildren.
PHOENIX, Md. — A 74-year-old Baltimore County lawyer was shot and killed Saturday afternoon at his Phoenix home during a family dispute involving his grandchildren, police and prosecutors said.
Mark Thomas Ryan, 41, of Bel Air, was charged with first-degree murder and a firearm offense in the death of his father-in-law, Robert W. MacMeekin. A judge denied Ryan bond Monday, citing concerns that he could pose a threat to the victim’s family, the public and himself as a possible flight risk.
Baltimore County police were called around 2:20 p.m. May 2 to the 14000 block of Sawmill Court. Officers found MacMeekin on the back patio with multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Prosecutors said Ryan’s wife, her mother and two children, ages 2 and 6, were inside the home when the shooting happened. Ryan was taken into custody without incident after police arrived.
Charging papers described a dispute that began the day before in Harford County. Ryan’s wife told authorities that she and MacMeekin went to the Harford County Sheriff’s Office after a domestic dispute to seek a temporary protective order. Authorities said Ryan was accused of hitting his wife and threatening to get a gun from a safe. Ryan denied harming her, according to court accounts described Monday.
After the dispute, Ryan’s wife took the children from the family’s Bel Air home to MacMeekin’s house in Phoenix. Prosecutors said MacMeekin later told Ryan by phone that the children would remain with him for the weekend and that Ryan would be served with a protective order before a Monday court hearing. Police said Ryan then came to the home, confronted MacMeekin on the patio and fired several rounds after a struggle.
Prosecutors said Ryan admitted to investigators that he shot and killed MacMeekin because he was angry that MacMeekin was keeping his children from him. Ryan’s defense attorney, Richard Karceski, said outside court that the case was not as simple as prosecutors described. “Nothing was intentional here on the part of Mr. Ryan,” Karceski said, adding that Ryan had no prior record and brought a gun because he feared others might be armed.
MacMeekin worked for Fine, Kelly & MacMeekin and had been part of the Maryland legal community for decades. The firm said it was devastated by the death of its colleague and friend. The firm described him as an energetic, humble and determined advocate who had served clients since 1976. Prosecutors told the court that MacMeekin’s life was taken from his family “for nothing.”
Ryan remained held without bond after Monday’s hearing. The case is expected to continue through Baltimore County District Court, where prosecutors will move forward on the murder and firearm charges.
Author note: Last updated May 5, 2026.