Victim Confronts Judge After Attacker Avoids Prison Sentence

The desperate shout of a 73-year-old man echoed through a Baltimore courtroom this week: “What about my rights and my well-being?” Mark Crosby’s raw anger erupted moments after a judge handed down a sentence he deemed woefully inadequate for the man who violently attacked him and another elderly pro-life protester outside a Planned Parenthood clinic, leaving Crosby with permanent eye damage.

Patrick Brice, 28, received one year of home detention and three years of probation for the May 2023 assault. Baltimore Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant rejected prosecutors’ request for a 10-year prison sentence. The decision stunned the victims and their supporters, with surveillance video clearly documenting the unprovoked attack that seriously injured Crosby and 84-year-old Richard Schaefer.

How Does Light Sentencing Affect Elderly Crime Victims?

The case highlights growing concerns about judicial responses to violent crimes against seniors. Crosby suffered broken facial bones and permanent damage to his right eye. Photos circulated after the attack showed him with severe facial swelling and blood. Schaefer was pushed violently into a flowerpot. Both men were praying and offering alternatives to abortion outside the clinic when Brice approached Schaefer, initiating a debate about sin that quickly turned physical.

• Brice admitted in court: “I just snapped one day,” claiming he lost control after misinterpreting a comment by Schaefer.
• Surveillance evidence: Showed Brice attacking Schaefer, then turning on Crosby when he intervened, punching him repeatedly.
• Lasting Impact: Crosby was hospitalized and continues to suffer from his eye injury. Schaefer also sustained significant trauma.

Legal Fallout and Victim Outrage

The sentence included mandatory anger management classes, drug and alcohol screening, and continued therapy for Brice. However, for the victims and pro-life legal groups, it felt like a profound miscarriage of justice.

• Tom Brejcha, Thomas More Society: Called it a “slap on the wrist,” emphasizing this was a “vicious, targeted assault on two senior citizens,” not a minor scuffle (Thomas More Society statement, August 2025).
• Crosby’s Courtroom Outburst: His shouted question as Judge Bryant exited captured the victims’ sense of betrayal by the justice system.
• Victim Attorney’s Statement: Read in court, it condemned the attack as showing “gross disregard for the law and human decency,” noting the elderly men had no means to defend themselves against the much younger Brice (Court statement, August 8, 2025).

Broader Questions on Justice and Protester Safety

The case reignites debates about the protection of peaceful protesters and the perceived leniency sometimes shown to perpetrators of violence against the elderly. Police reports confirmed multiple witnesses saw the assault, describing it as a debate that turned suddenly and violently aggressive without justification by the victims (Baltimore Police Report, May 2023). The contrast with cases where high-profile individuals face serious consequences for assault, or where charges are dropped due to flawed evidence, fuels public perception of inconsistency.

The light sentence for a brutal attack captured on video, leaving an elderly man with permanent disability, raises disturbing questions about the value placed on the safety and rights of senior citizens engaged in lawful protest. For Mark Crosby and Richard Schaefer, the Baltimore courtroom offered little solace, only a shouted plea for justice that hangs heavy in the air. This case demands a critical examination of sentencing practices for crimes against vulnerable populations.

Must Know

1. What happened in the Baltimore clinic attack?
   In May 2023, Patrick Brice assaulted two elderly pro-life protesters, Richard Schaefer (84) and Mark Crosby (73), outside a Baltimore Planned Parenthood. Surveillance video captured Brice pushing Schaefer into a flowerpot and then violently punching Crosby when he intervened.
2. What injuries did the victims suffer?
   Richard Schaefer sustained significant trauma from being pushed. Mark Crosby suffered broken facial bones and permanent damage to his right eye, requiring hospitalization. Photos showed Crosby with severe facial swelling and bleeding immediately after the assault.
3. What sentence did Patrick Brice receive?
   In August 2025, Baltimore Circuit Judge Yvette M. Bryant sentenced Brice to one year of home detention and three years of probation. She rejected the prosecution’s request for a 10-year prison sentence. Brice must also undergo anger management, drug/alcohol screening, and therapy.
4. Why was there outrage over the sentence?
   Victims and advocacy groups, like the Thomas More Society, condemned the sentence as a “slap on the wrist” for a vicious, unprovoked attack on vulnerable seniors. Victim Mark Crosby shouted his frustration in court, feeling the justice system failed to protect his rights and well-being.