Crime & Safety
Middle River Man Convicted in 'No Body' Murder Trial
Jason Gross, 36, was found guilty of killing 16-year-old Rochelle Battle despite her body never being found.
A Middle River man was convicted Thursday of second degree murder in the death of a 16-year-old girl whose body has never been found.
A Baltimore County jury found Jason Gross, 36, guilty in the death of Rochelle Battle. Prosecutors said Gross killed Rochelle Battle on or about March 6, 2009.
While Battle’s body has never been found, prosecutors linked her to Gross through cell phone tracking that had the pair in the same area at the same time, WBAL-TV reported. There is also an MTA security camera that shows Battle taking a bus from Baltimore to Essex. Her mother believed she was going shopping at , WBAL-TV also reported.
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In the years since Battle’s disappearance, police have searched extensively for her body, including at a trash-collecting facility on Earls Road in Chase.
Gross’ conviction is the second in Baltimore County where no body has been found, according to the Baltimore County State's Attorney's office.
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Rosedale resident Dennis Testo was sentenced to 18 years in prison last year after being convicted of murdering his wife, Tracey Gardner-Tetso. She has not been seen since she disappeared in 2005.
No sentencing date has yet been set for Gross.
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