FRUITLAND, Md. - A Fruitland man accused of murdering and burying a man in a shallow grave near a home in Wicomico County last winter has been sentenced to prison.
According to online court records, Douglas Harlow, 47, entered a guilty plea to second-degree assault and disposing of a body in an unauthorized place. Harlow was originally charged with first- and second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, assault with a deadly weapon and improper disposal of a body, but was not prosecuted on these charges.
Court records show Harlow was sentenced Oct. 5 to nine years total in prison, with one year suspended in connection to the death of Ronnie Glen Mackert, 63. On Dec. 6, 2016, officers and investigators from the Fruitland Police Department responded to the scene and discovered a shallow grave containing Mackert's decomposed human body wrapped in a blanket. According to charging documents, Harlow and Mackert had gotten into a fight a few days before.
Harlow was credited with time served since he was taken into custody in December, court records stated. All other charges were dismissed.
