State v. George Christopher Floyd, C-08-CR-24-000006
LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, November 14, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced George Christopher Floyd, 44, of Waldorf, to 25 years in prison for the Second-Degree Murder of Triston Treshaun Irvin, as well as related charges. Floyd will be on supervised probation for five years upon release.
On June 27, 2024, a Charles County jury, after a 4-day trial, and approximately 2.5 hours of deliberation, convicted Floyd of Second-Degree Murder, as well as related charges.
On October 8, 2023, officers responded to a residence in Waldorf for the report of a subject not breathing. When officers arrived, they located the 18-year-old victim unresponsive on a bathroom floor. Officers also made contact with Floyd, the victim’s stepfather. Floyd reported to officers that he put the victim in an arm-bar neck restraint because the victim was trying to run away. The victim ultimately became unresponsive as a result of the strangulation. Emergency Medical Services rendered aid to the victim and then transported him to the hospital for further treatment. However, he, unfortunately, died as a result of the strangulation.
An investigation revealed that Floyd, the victim’s mother, and the victim had a verbal disagreement the night before the murder but went to bed peacefully. Floyd entered the victim’s bedroom at approximately 4:50 a.m. the next morning and demanded that the victim clean his room. Shortly after, Floyd began to strangle the victim. The victim’s mother entered the bedroom after hearing the commotion, then requested three of the victim’s friends, who were sleeping over, and his younger teenage brother to help defuse the situation.
Floyd ordered the young men to help him restrain the victim and pray over him. At one point, Floyd ordered one of the victim’s friends to get olive oil, which Floyd then used to put a cross on the victim’s forehead. However, Floyd kept strangling the victim with an arm-bar for approximately 15-20 minutes while the victim was lying on the floor. During this time, the victim was not moving or talking, but Floyd continued to hold his arm around the victim’s neck. When Floyd got up and saw that the victim was not responsive, he and the other young men attempted to render aid but did not immediately call emergency personnel. When the victim remained unresponsive for approximately 5-10 minutes, Floyd called 911.
At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse told the judge, “This was a horrific way to die. This is a prolonged suffering that this 18-year-old had to go through. It’s just terrible. This is the worst depraved heart murder that [we’ve] seen.” He also stated that the victim was “an 18-year-old college kid, a church-going young man who lost his life.” The incident “happened in his own room, where he is supposed to be safe. His friends had to see it, including his little brother, it’s horrible. It’s hard to wrap your mind around how terrible that is. If this case doesn’t garner 40 years, I don’t know what would.”
Assistant State’s Attorney Kate Edmands furthered that the victim “was just the type of man that we want in this community.” She stated that the “real tragedy is that he will never get to be a father, a husband. He will no longer get to be a big brother. A son. The community is safe if Mr. Floyd is locked up.”
Before sentencing Floyd, the Honorable Judge Greer told him, “The tragic loss of life is a direct result of the decisions you made.” He furthered that due to Floyd’s lack of remorse and responsibility, “it still appears that you are a danger to the public.”
Sentence
Count 1
• Second-Degree Murder
• 40 years with all but 25 years suspended
Count 4
• False Imprisonment
• 20 years with all suspended
• Consecutive to Count 1
Count 5
• Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Assault
• 20 years with all suspended
• Concurrent to Count 4
• Consecutive to Count 1
Count 6
• Conspiracy to Commit False Imprisonment
• 20 years with all suspended
• Concurrent to Counts 4 and 5
• Consecutive to Count 1
5 years of supervised probation