Truesee's Daily Wonder

A 34-year-old Baltimore pastor who worked with the developmentally disabled pleaded guilty Friday to his role in a conspiracy to kill a blind man for life insurance money.

Kevin Pushia faces life in prison in the death of Lemuel Wallace, who was found shot in the head in a Leakin Park bathroom in February 2009. Prosecutor Robin Wherley said Pushia confessed to taking out multiple life insurance policies in Wallace's name, then paying a hit man $50,000 to kill him.

That money had come from the treasury of a small East Baltimore church where Pushia was a pastor.

Pushia, who had worked as an operations manager for the Arc of Baltimore, confessed after police serving a search warrant found a notation in his planning calendar for Feb. 5, the day after Wallace was killed, that read, "L.W. project completed," prosecutors said.

"Mr. Pushia made some poor decisions, and got himself in a very difficult position," said defense attorney Russell Neverdon outside the courthouse, speaking of the circumstances leading to the killing. "His plea was an effort to purge himself, emotionally and spiritually."

Sentencing was not disclosed at Friday's hearing in Baltimore Circuit Court. A co-defendant, James Omar Clea, is scheduled to stand trial on Nov. 8.

Prosecutors would not comment on the plea due to the pending case.

Pushia told police that Clea, 32, helped arrange a meeting with the hit man, which both attended, but investigators have not been able to link anyone to the shooting and the murder weapon has not been recovered. Clea told police that Pushia said he had only said he wanted someone to beat Wallace up.

Pushia, wearing glasses and sporting a beard, did not speak at the hearing except to answer questions from his attorney and the judge. When asked his highest level of education, he said, "Master's degree."

Detectives investigating the case had few solid leads after handing out fliers in Wallace's neighborhood and visiting places he was known to frequent.

But on March 31, an agent for Globe Life Insurance made a routine check with police to inquire whether Pushia, listed as Wallace's brother on a $200,000 policy, was not a suspect in the death.

The call gave police a suspect. They searched Pushia's newly-built townhouse in Frankford and found the planning calendar and numerous insurance policies that Pushia had applied for in Wallace's name on the Internet, according to records.

Pushia's plea included seven counts of insurance fraud. Prosecutors said one of the policies listed a man named Jason McFarland, who has not been charged. Neverdon said McFarland was a "friend" of Pushia.

Neverdon said last year that Pushia had taken out policies on at least two other disabled people who died, though their deaths were the result of natural causes and the policies had been canceled before their deaths.

In addition to his involvement in the ministry since his teens, Pushia had worked at several other area homes for disabled people.

Pushia also cared for two foster children who were removed two weeks before Pushia's arrest, state officials confirmed last year. Pushia had become a foster parent through a private agency after his application with Baltimore City had been denied.