Aug 10, 2025, 4:17 PM ET

Man who assaulted elderly pro-lifers gets no jail time in ‘slap on the wrist’ sentence

A Maryland man convicted on two counts of second degree assault after viciously attacking two elderly pro-lifers outside an abortion business in 2023 has received only home detention for his crime — a sentence an attorney is calling “a slap on the wrist.”

Key Takeaways:

Patrick Brice brutally attacked Mark Schaefer and Mark Crosby outside a Baltimore Planned Parenthood in May 2023, resulting in serious injuries for Crosby.
He was found guilty of two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment.
Though he could have received 20 years in prison, he was instead sentenced to home arrest and three years of probation.

The Backstory:

In May of 2023, 84-year-old Mark Schaefer and 73-year-old Mark Crosby were peacefully praying outside a Baltimore Planned Parenthood when they were approached by 28-year-old Patrick Brice. After a brief discussion, Brice suddenly tackled Schaefer. Crosby ran to defend Schaefer and Brice pushed Crosby to the ground, punched him in the face, and kicked him in the head.

Crosby spent three days at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center and went to the emergency room twice due to his injuries. He suffered a shattered eye socket and plate bone in his cheek, two fractured fingers, severe head trauma, and temporary blindness in one eye. The incident was captured by a nearby surveillance camera.

Get the biggest pro life stories directly in your inbox. Breaking news, investigations, and stories you won't want to miss.

Brice was arrested in 2024, and in February of 2025, was found guilty of two counts of second-degree assault and reckless endangerment. A jury failed to reach a verdict on another charge of first-degree felony assault.

In June 2025, Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant acquitted Brice on the first-degree felony assault charge, saying he might have been provoked and that there was no proof he intended to cause serious injury.

The Details:

Though prosecutors pushed for a maximum 10 year sentence for each charge — which could have given Brice 20 years behind bars — Bryant let Brice off without any jail time at a sentencing hearing August 7. Instead, he will have to serve one year of home detention and three years of probation.

According to The Baltimore Banner, he must also “complete anger management classes, undergo drug and alcohol screening, take part in any recommended treatment and remain in therapy. That’s along with virtually attending Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous meetings.”

Brice has admitted to the attack, saying, “I just snapped one day.”

Crosby’s attorney, Terrell Roberts, read a statement from Crosby during sentencing, which said the attack demonstrated a “gross disregard for the law and human decency.”

“We were in no position to defend ourselves,” Crosby wrote. “To treat elderly folks with that kind of brutality is shocking.”

Commentary:

Tom Brejcha, President and Chief Counsel of Thomas More Society, released a statement blasting Brice’s light sentence:

This was not a minor altercation between two parties with differing views on abortion. It was a vicious, targeted assault on two senior citizens whose only ‘offense’ was praying for expectant mothers and offering life-affirming alternatives to abortion.

One of the victims was knocked unconscious. The other suffered broken facial bones and a lifelong eye impairment. This was an act of cowardice and cruelty, and sheer mayhem. This crime deserves far more serious consequences than a ‘get out of jail free’ card and a one-year home detention that amounts to nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

He continued:

When our justice system fails to hold perpetrators like Brice fully accountable, it sends a dangerous message that pro-lifers can be attacked with impunity. This not only jeopardizes the safety of peaceful demonstrators, but it undermines the rule of law and the right to free speech.

No one should fear being beaten on the sidewalk for simply standing up for the most vulnerable among us. Violence must never be tolerated, excused, or minimized, especially when it’s politically motivated. Justice was not served in this case, and we must continue to fight until all peaceful pro-life voices are protected.

Follow Live Action News on Facebook and Instagram for more pro-life news.

Live Action News is pro-life news and commentary from a pro-life perspective.

Our work is possible because of our donors. Please consider giving to further our work of changing hearts and minds on issues of life and human dignity.

Contact editor@liveaction.org for questions, corrections, or if you are seeking permission to reprint any Live Action News content.

Guest Articles: To submit a guest article to Live Action News, email editor@liveaction.org with an attached Word document of 800-1000 words. Please also attach any photos relevant to your submission if applicable. If your submission is accepted for publication, you will be notified within three weeks. Guest articles are not compensated (see our Open License Agreement). Thank you for your interest in Live Action News!