Baltimore police allege that a former teacher involved in an “inappropriate relationship” with a student helped that teenager shoot another boy last summer.
That educator, 38-year-old Matthew Biegel, now faces a dozen charges in the case, including attempted first-degree and conspiracy to commit murder, according to local reports.
Biegel was an agriculture teacher at Reginald F. Lewis High School of Business, Law, and Agriculture. According to a Baltimore City Schools spokesperson, he worked there from September 2015 to August 2023.
The case against Biegel stems from a shooting on July 10, 2023, in which a teen shot a 17-year-old in the face and torso. Detectives learned both teenagers were involved in a “volatile, on-again, off-again relationship” and that “physical altercations” happened frequently between the two.
Officers found the injured teen at a home on McElderry Street. From there, he was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
He survived his wounds, and the teen who shot him was later taken into custody and charged with attempted murder.
In the moments that led up to the shooting, investigators say that the arrested teenager got out of the passenger seat of a black SUV, shot the other boy, then got back into the car, and fled the scene.
Police found the suspected shooter at Biegel’s home and arrested him there, The Baltimore Banner reports. Through “additional information,” detectives discovered that Biegel was in an “inappropriate relationship” with the teen.
Although police knew of Biegel’s ties to the shooter, Biegel wasn’t charged in the case until last month.
The shooting victim spoke to police on April 23 and told them he knew the driver’s name was “Matthew.” Court records indicate that Biegel drove the SUV to the shooting scene and that the car belonged to his parents.
Biegel was arrested on April 24 and booked into a local jail. He was later released after posting a $500,000 bond.
Biegel’s students spoke to WBAL-TV, expressing shock that their former teacher had been implicated in a crime like this.
“I graduated from Reginald. I was in Mr. Biegel’s class in ninth and 10th grade,” one former student who remained anonymous told the outlet. “He was one of my favorite teachers, but I didn’t expect him to do nothing like (this). He was like more the motivational type, like ‘Keep going, you can do it.’ I didn’t expect that.”
“I can’t believe it’s Mr. Biegel,” another student said. “It was real surprising, I wasn’t expecting it. He was a regular, cool teacher, like one of the cool teachers that let the students come in the room when you’re not supposed to, one of them teachers. He was nice, cool, and you wouldn’t be expecting this from him.”
While Biegel’s involvement might have been a surprise to students, a former teacher told Fox45 News that the school system had received several reports alleging that Biegel had other inappropriate relationships with students at Reginald F. Lewis.
The whistleblower, who chose to speak out on the condition of anonymity, went to school administrators with complaints about Biegel’s behavior at least “four or five times.”
In an email sent to the Baltimore Teachers Union in 2020, an employee claimed that Biegel routinely hosted “vulnerable young male students, former and current, at his home.” The school’s principal was also aware of this claim.
Fox45 also obtained a text between Biegel and another person in which Biegel said students stopped by his house after a minor car accident.
Baltimore City Schools declined to speak with Fox45 about the allegations against Biegel but sent a statement calling them “deeply disturbing.”
“City Schools is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all our students and staff,” the statement reads. “As this is an active investigation involving law enforcement and personnel matters, we must limit our comments to protect the integrity of the judicial process.”
Biegel’s next court appearance is on May 28.
