State v. Dominic Xavier Daniel, K17-487
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Amy J. Bragunier sentenced Dominic Xavier Daniel, 26 of Waldorf, to life in prison for the First-Degree Murder of Samuel Gemeny, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence in relation to the murder of Samuel Gemeny, and the First-Degree Assault of Allison Hofman.
Daniel previously entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charges on February 25, 2019 in front of the Honorable Judge Amy J. Bragunier.
On May 16, 2017, officers responded to an apartment complex located in the 3400 block of Promenade Place in Waldorf for the report of a home invasion and shooting. Upon arrival, officers found victim Gemeny suffering with a gunshot wound to his neck. Officers also made contact with victim Hofman, who was suffering with non-life-threatening injuries. Gemeny was pronounced deceased at the scene.
An investigation revealed that during the evening hours of May 16, 2017, the victims were inside of their apartment when Hofman heard knocking at the front door. Hofman looked through the peephole of the door but did not see anyone outside of the apartment. In an effort to see if someone had knocked and walked away, she opened the front door. At that time, Daniel, as well as co-defendants Morgan Tyrone Rich, Jr. and Dominique Ariel Grant, forced entry into the apartment. None of the suspects concealed their faces and Hofman immediately recognized Daniel and Grant as acquaintances of her and Gemeny.
Daniel, who briefly lived at the apartment prior to the incident, wielded an assault rifle and pointed it directly at Hofman, demanding to know where a mattress was that he had while living in the apartment. He also demanded to know the whereabouts of Gemeny. Rich and Grant demanded money. Gemeny, who was in the master bedroom during the initial confrontation, approached the suspects undetected and hit Daniel in the back of the head with an iPad. Daniel then turned toward Gemeny and shot him at close range. Following the shooting, the suspects fled the area with three other co-defendants.
During the incident, Rich grabbed Hofman by her throat and slammed her into a counter, which caused injury to her back.
At Daniel’s sentencing, State’s Attorney Constance Kopelman addressed the Court, “This crime is so senseless. It cannot be tolerated. The only sentence that makes sense is life. – [The defendant’s actions] caused a fear that is never going to leave [Hofman]. People should be able to feel safe in their own homes. She had to see her boyfriend’s life taken in front of her. – The defendant robbed the victim [of his future] because he was angry over a bed, a bong, and $80.”
Also on Tuesday, June 25, 2019, co-defendant Rich, 29 of Waldorf, entered a guilty plea in front of the Honorable Judge H. James West to the Felony Murder of Samuel Gemeny, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence in relation to the murder of Samuel Gemeny, and the First-Degree Assault of Allison Hofman. Immediately following his plea, he was sentenced to life suspend all but 40 years in prison.
On June 5, 2018, co-defendant Grant entered a guilty plea to Felony Murder in front of the Honorable Judge H. James West. A sentencing date for Grant has been scheduled for August 28, 2019.
The remaining co-defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on July 31, 2019. Two of the co-defendants have entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Burglary; the remaining co-defendant entered a guilty plea to Conspiracy to Commit Home Invasion.
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