Boxing Coach: Trainee Used Gym Skills to Attack Fells Point Couple
Prosecutors say Montray McCray leveraged his professional training to assault Claudia Bismark and Wade Wilson, leading to her death.
By Nia Foster ·
Montray McCray, a 32-year-old former student and driver, faces life in prison for the murder of Claudia Bismark, a 76-year-old artist, and the robbery of her husband, Wade Wilson, in Baltimore. Prosecutors allege McCray utilized his background as a trained boxer to execute the attack on Sept. 29.
The incident occurred shortly after the couple finished breakfast at Vikki’s Fells Point Deli inside Broadway Market. Authorities state that McCray argued with security staff at a nearby homeless outreach program before spotting the couple paying for their meal with cash. He followed them as they left the market holding hands.
According to the Baltimore state’s attorney’s office, McCray punched Wilson in the face, knocking him into Bismark and causing both to fall. He then appeared to search Wilson’s pockets. When Bismark attempted to rise and assist her husband, McCray pulled her arm backward and struck her in the face, causing her head to hit the ground. He took a wallet containing $150 from Wilson and fled the scene.
Bismark was hospitalized and died of her injuries two days later. Wilson also required hospital care. More than 100 residents attended a vigil on Oct. 1 at the attack site to honor the couple.
Harold Williams, owner of the Hot Box Baltimore gym in Pigtown, coached McCray professionally this past summer. Williams agreed to train McCray pro bono, noting that many gifted boxers possess rough personalities. McCray won his first professional style fight, a victory he described on Instagram as a lifelong dream realized. However, McCray stopped attending sessions around early September without explanation.
State’s Attorney Ivan Bates and Mayor Brandon Scott announced on Oct. 29 that McCray had been indicted for first-degree murder and robbery. They stated they are pursuing a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. Bates noted that a trained boxer’s hands function as weapons, an argument prosecutors will present to the jury.
Court records indicate McCray also faces charges for an assault and robbery committed three days prior to the Fells Point attack. In that incident, he allegedly punched a man outside a Chipotle in the Inner Harbor and stole $80. McCray has prior convictions for theft, drug charges, and violating a protective order.
In 2021, McCray’s stepmother petitioned for a protective order for herself, her husband, and her stepson, citing harassment and threatening texts, but a judge denied the request. In early 2022, a former partner filed multiple temporary protective orders, alleging stalking, physical abuse, and threats of imminent bodily harm.
Eric Ross, 33, hired McCray in May to drive delivery vans for his company, Ross Solutions LLC, after meeting him at a laundromat. Ross said he hoped the job would provide McCray with stability. Issues arose within weeks, including a dispute with a security guard and a client who barred McCray from returning. A woman also threw a brick through one of the company vans. McCray accumulated 13 traffic tickets during his two-month tenure.
McCray stopped working for Ross on Aug. 4. When Ross saw video footage of the Fells Point attack online, he called McCray to confront him. McCray denied involvement. Williams, who also spoke with McCray after seeing the video, said his former trainee told a blatant lie. Williams stated that McCray knew he had a place to stay at the gym during hard times but described the attack as a total misrepresentation of boxing.
