Malik Samartaney (born Lawrence Banks; June 7, 1953) is an American serial killer who killed at least three people, including his son and daughter, in Maryland between 1991 and 2019. He is also suspected of killing his wife in 1976, and his girlfriend's daughter and granddaughter in 2006.
Background
Samartaney was born Lawrence Banks in Maryland, U.S. He has been convicted of multiple offenses including second-degree murder (three counts), assault with intent to disfigure, second-degree assault, unauthorized disposal of a body, and weapons-related charges.
Criminal History
In 1975, Samartaney held a knife to his wife Vivian's throat and later threw his 7-month-old daughter Dominique through a glass door, requiring 22 stitches. He was convicted of assault and sentenced to 15 years in prison. While he was out on bail, Vivian was found dead in her apartment closet; Samartaney was suspected but never charged due to decomposition preventing determination of a cause of death.
In November 1991, Samartaney fatally shot 36-year-old Michael Chisholm and later shot and killed his own 17-year-old son, Lawrence Banks Jr., as he cowered in a kitchen corner. He pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for his son's death and guilty to second-degree murder for Chisholm's killing, receiving two concurrent 20-year sentences. He was released in October 2002.
In 2004, after changing his name to Malik Samartaney, he was charged with assaulting his second wife but was acquitted. In December 2006, his girlfriend's daughter, 22-year-old Lisa Brown, and her 9-month-old daughter, Labria Fogle, were found shot dead in their home. Samartaney was suspected but never charged due to lack of evidence.
Murder of Dominique Foster (2019)
In May 2019, Samartaney killed his daughter Dominique Foster, then 43 years old and a mother of six. Her dismembered remains were found in a shopping cart stuffed with black trash bags near a dumpster. Only her shoulders and arms were recovered; her hands, feet, legs, and head remain missing.
In October 2021, Samartaney was convicted of second-degree murder and unauthorized disposal of a body. He was acquitted of first-degree murder. In February 2022, he was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 41 years in prison. Judge Jennifer Schiffer cited his history of violence, stating, "This court must defend the public." Under Maryland law, Samartaney must serve half of his sentence before becoming eligible for parole.
He is currently imprisoned at Roxbury Correctional Institution.
