Gaithersburg man charged in alleged homicide involving a hatchet A Gaithersburg man has been charged with homicide after allegedly killing a man with a hatchet during a confrontation at his home, authorities said Friday morning. Police said 20-year-old Claude Alexander Allen called in a report of an attempted burglary at his home in the 7200 block of Cliff Pine Drive shortly after midnight. He told police that he had killed the man after he tried to break in, but police said the two men knew each other and the killing did not stem from a burglary. They have not yet established a motive. The victim, Michael Phillip Harvey, 25, and the suspect are not related, police said. Harvey was found dead in a wooded area about 75 yards behind the suspect's home, but police believe the attack began in the two-car garage, according to Montgomery County Police Capt. Jim Daly. It's not clear whether the altercation moved to the woods or Harvey's body was dragged there after he died. Daly said a third man was at the house at the time of the attack. He had left by the time police arrived, but investigators tracked him down later and questioned him. He is not a suspect, Daly said. A tent had been erected over the crime scene behind the large, white-brick house, which sits on about two acres on a street of similarly large homes. A blue car was parked in the home's circular driveway. At about 10:30 a.m., investigators wheeled a gurney from the crime scene, loaded it into a red sport-utility vehicle and drove off. Police responded to Allen's 911 call but they received no other calls and do not believe neighbors heard or saw the killing. Jennifer Jenkins and Maggie Fazeli Fard contributed to this report.