Press Releases

State v. Justin Michael Lachenmayer, C-08-CR-23-000692

LA PLATA, MD— Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, March 13, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Justin Michael Lachenmayher, 39, of Waldorf, to 10 years in prison for the Manslaughter and Second-Degree Assault of John Carl Lachenmayer. Lachenmayer will also be on supervised probation for five years upon release.

Lachenmayer entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charges on March 10, 2025.

On September 8, 2023, officers from the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Waldorf in reference to a domestic assault. Upon arrival, they located 71-year-old victim John Carl Lachenmayer on the floor with difficulty breathing. The victim told officers that his son, Justin Lachenmayer, punched him while he was sitting on the couch, pushed him to the ground, and then kicked his stomach. Emergency Medical Services also responded to the scene of the incident and observed multiple bruises on the victim’s body. The victim was transported to the hospital, where he, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries.

Justin Lachenmayer was also present at the scene of the incident and admitted to the altercation with his father. An investigation revealed that the assault occurred during an argument between Lachenmayer and his father about Lachenmayer using his father’s credit card. After assaulting his father, Lachenmayer called 9-1-1 to report his father having trouble breathing. The victim suffered a lacerated spleen and internal bleeding.

At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney John Stackhouse told the judge, “This is how the [victim] ends his golden years, pushed to the floor, punched, and kicked in his stomach. It’s just tragic; just a sad situation.”

Before sentencing Lachenmayer, the Honorable Judge H. James West said, “This case is very unique. This doesn’t make any sense to me. The sad thing about being betrayed is it never comes from your enemies.” He furthered, “In his last days and months, he’s looking out for his son, who it appears, at least for a long time, hasn’t looked out for him – and that’s really, really sad. In the end, he was betrayed. It’s truly a tragic way to go at the hands of someone who should be looking out for you.”
 

Sentence

Count 1- Manslaughter
• 10 years

Count 3- Second-Degree Assault
• 10 years with all suspended
• Consecutive to Count 1

5 Years Supervised Probation

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State v. Elijah Bernard Barnes, C-08-CR-23-000078

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, March 7, 2025, a Charles County jury, after a 5-day trial, convicted Elijah Bernard Barnes, 20, of the Second-Degree Murder of Rajon Lateef Jackson, III, as well as related charges.  

On January 13, 2023, officers responded to Harvest Fish Place in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. When officers arrived, they located the 17-year-old victim on the street suffering from 4 gunshot wounds to his face and neck. The victim, identified as Rajon Lateef Jackson, III, was transported to the hospital; however, he, unfortunately, succumbed to his injuries.

A witness at the scene reported to officers that before the shooting, Jackson had exited his school bus and was walking toward his residence. The suspect, later identified as Barnes, called Jackson over to his vehicle. Jackson began making his way to the car when Barnes shot him four times before fleeing from the scene. During the shooting, Barnes was seated in an older model silver Toyota Corolla with a missing hub cap on the front driver’s side.

Surveillance video from a nearby gas station shows the Toyota Corolla, with the missing side hub cap, entering the gas station and parking at a pump moments before the murder. The driver and only occupant, Barnes, entered the business and was captured on video surveillance.

Approximately three minutes after leaving the gas station, personally-owned surveillance cameras from the neighborhood captured the Toyota Corolla in the area of the shooting.  Barnes matched the witness’ description of the shooter.

After the killing, investigators were able to identify Barnes, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.  Barnes, who had fled the State after the murder, was located and arrested in Rocky Mount, North Carolina 5 days after the killing.

A sentencing date has been scheduled for May 2, 2025. Barnes faces 68 years in prison.

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State v. Stacy Jermain Barksdale, C-08-CR-24-000483

LA PLATA, MD— Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, February 28, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Makeba Gibbs sentenced Stacy Jermain Barksdale, 39, of Waldorf, to 12 years in prison for the Gross Vehicular Manslaughter of Gary Alan Cooper. Barksdale will also be on supervised probation for five years upon release.

Barksdale pleaded guilty to the aforementioned charge on January 9, 2025.

On April 22, 2024, troopers from the Maryland State Police along with members of the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to the intersection of Route 301 and Acton Lane for a two-vehicle collision. Upon arrival, they located a silver GMC Envoy with heavy front-end damage at rest in the intersection. They also observed a white Ford Expedition with heavy front-end damage at rest against a guardrail. Troopers made contact with Barksdale, who had observable signs of impairment. Barksdale was transported to the University of Maryland Capital Regional Health Center for treatment of his injuries. The operator of the Ford Expedition, Denise Kesterson, was also transported to the hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Unfortunately, Cooper, who was a passenger in the Expedition, succumbed to the injuries he sustained from the accident.

An investigation revealed that the GMC Envoy, operated by Barksdale, was traveling southbound on Route 301 in the right turn lane. The Ford Expedition, occupied by Cooper and Kesterson, was traveling on Acton Lane and in the process of crossing Route 301 to continue on Acton Lane. Barksdale failed to obey traffic laws and ran a red light at a high rate of speed with his vehicle, ultimately striking the front passenger side of the Expedition, where Cooper was seated. The force of the crash pushed the Expedition into a guardrail.

Toxicology results from a hospital blood test showed Barksdale had methamphetamine, marijuana, and a .15 alcohol content in his system.

During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Cody Ballard, asking for the maximum sentence of 15 years, noting Barksdale’s previous history of multiple driving impaired convictions, stated that he had “been given multiple opportunities to correct his behavior – This time, he killed somebody.”

A loved one of Cooper present at the sentencing delivered a victim impact statement to the judge, stating, “Gary was given a death sentence. We were given a life sentence. The sentence that the defendant faces doesn’t compare.”

The Honorable Judge Gibbs told Barksdale, “As a repeat offender, I can’t think of anything more dangerous than someone unaware of the need not to drive after consuming alcohol.”
 
Sentencing

Count 1: Gross Vehicular Manslaughter
• 15 years with all but 12 years suspended
• 5 years of supervised probation

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State v. Katravien Tyrieus Vercher, C-08-CR-23-000463

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, February 7, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Makeba Gibbs sentenced Katravien Tyrieus Vercher, 25, of Waldorf, to 40 years in prison for four counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Vercher will be on supervised probation for five years upon release from prison. He is also required to register as a Tier 3 Sex Offender for life.

On September 25, 2024, a Charles County jury convicted Vercher of the above-listed charges.

On March 22, 2023, officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in Waldorf for the report of child sexual abuse. Upon arrival, officers made contact with the juvenile victims’ mother. The mother reported that Vercher sexually abused three of her children over the course of three years.
An investigation revealed that Vercher moved in with the victims and their mother at their Waldorf residence in 2020. Vercher began abusing the victims within a few months of moving in. The victims were 5, 6, and 10 years old when the incidents first began. In the first incident, Vercher asked the 10-year-old victim if she wanted to play a game, and she responded yes. Vercher then began making sexual advances toward the victim. The sexual contact with the 10-year-old victim continued repeatedly over the course of three years and progressed in nature. He also came up with a code phrase to use with the victim when they were around other people, indicating he wanted sexual contact.

Vercher engaged in sexual acts with the other two minor victims as well. On one occasion, the two youngest victims were present during the sexual act at the same time.
One of the victims eventually reported the abuse to their mother, who then called the police.
During the course of the investigation, Vercher admitted to making comments about the 10-year-old victim’s appearance and being attracted to what she was wearing. He also admitted to slapping her buttocks.

At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Alexa Casavecchia asked for 60 years, stating that the “scars are always going to be there” for the victims.

Before sentencing Vercher, the Honorable Judge Gibbs stated, “It was an abuse of trust what happened to them. This grooming took some time. You abused their trust. You abused the trust of their mother who left them in your care.”

 
Sentence

Count 1 – Sexual Abuse of a Minor
• 25 years with all but 15 years suspended

Count 3 – Sexual Abuse of a Minor – Continuing Course of Conduct
• 30 years with all but 15 years suspended
• Consecutive to Count 1

Count 5 – Sexual Abuse of a Minor: House/Fam
• 25 years with all but 10 years suspended
• Consecutive to Counts 1 and 3

Count 6 – Sexual Abuse of a Minor: House/Fam
• 25 years, all suspended
• Consecutive to Counts 1, 3, and 5

5 years of supervised probation upon release

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State v. Jahad Karim Frierson, C-08-CR-21-000327

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, February 6, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Donine Carrington Martin sentenced Jahad Karim Frierson, 27, of Waldorf, to 35 years in prison for the Second-Degree Murder of Leon Nathaniel Inabinett, Jr. Frierson was also sentenced to a consecutive 1,067 days in prison for violating the probation of an unrelated incident.

On December 3, 2024, a Charles County jury convicted Frierson of the above-mentioned charge.
On June 20, 2021, officers responded to the Bryans Road Firehouse in the 3000 block of Livingston Road in Bryans Road. Upon arrival, officers discovered victim Inabinett suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in a hallway inside the firehouse. The victim was transported to a local hospital but, unfortunately, was pronounced deceased as a result of his injuries.

An investigation revealed that the victim attended a birthday party at the firehouse before the incident. Frierson had an issue with the victim due to a prior incident. After learning the victim’s location, Frierson contacted co-defendant Ryan Lamont Bell to help confront the victim. Frierson and Bell rode to the firehouse together and hid in bushes waiting for the victim to come out. At the end of the party, the victim was carrying a tray of cookies to put in a vehicle in the rear parking lot. Frierson and Bell approached the victim while he was outside. Frierson brandished a handgun given to him by Bell, struck the victim and then shot him several times. After the shooting was over, both Frierson and Bell fled in the same vehicle. The victim was able to make it inside the firehouse to try to get help but collapsed in the hallway.

An ankle monitor that Bell was wearing for a separate incident indicated that Bell’s location was at the firehouse at the time of the murder. Cell phone records also place Bell and Frierson in the area at the time of the murder. Surveillance video depicts the two confronting the victim and running away.

The handgun used to kill the victim was located in Bell’s vehicle. Bell reported to investigators that he took the gun after the murder and cleaned it.

On November 14, 2022, Bell entered a guilty plea for Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence. On December 19, 2024, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

During the sentencing for Frierson, Assistant State’s Attorney Constance Kopelman asked the judge for the maximum sentence of 40 years, stating that Frierson “needs to be prevented from committing any other act like this for as long as possible. He didn’t care that he was on probation when he committed this murder.” She furthered, “The facts are just so brutal. Leon did not see this coming. The defendant ambushed him, and Leon had nothing to protect himself with. He was carrying cookies.” She told the judge that Leon’s future and potential was “all extinguished by the defendant. The defendant destroyed the victim’s right to the life he chose. In a society, we cannot tolerate this senseless gun violence. The defendant showed no mercy, no humanity. It is senseless. It is not okay, and it needs to be punished.”

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State v. Marvin Ernesto Funez-Martinez, C-08-CR-23-000840

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, January 16, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Donine Carrington Martin sentenced Marvin Ernesto Funez-Martinez, 23, of White Plains, to 38 years in prison for the Second-Degree Murder of Marco Alexander Pulido-Castro and the Wear and Carry of a Dangerous Weapon with the Intent to Injure. Funez-Martinez will be on supervised probation for five years upon release.

On July 26, 2024, a Charles County jury found Funez-Martinez guilty of the aforementioned charges.
In the early morning hours of October 29, 2023, officers responded to a residence in White Plains for the report of an assault and stabbing. While at the scene, officers located victim Pulido-Castro in the trunk of a Nissan Sentra. The victim was found unresponsive in the fetal position and had numerous stab wounds. Unfortunately, the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.

An investigation revealed that Funez-Martinez hired the victim to drive him and two other individuals to a club in Washington, D.C. The victim went into the club with the occupants of the vehicle. The victim then drove Funez-Martinez and the other individuals back to their home in White Plains. Before they arrived in White Plains, the victim stopped at a gas station, where he requested additional money for gas. The victim’s vehicle began overheating at the gas station; however, he was still able to drive the occupants to their home.

On the way to White Plains, Funez-Martinez and the victim were involved in a small argument because the victim requested more money.

Upon arrival at the residence, the victim’s engine continued overheating, and the victim remained outside. Funez-Martinez, who was already carrying a pocketknife, went inside his residence and retrieved a larger knife from the kitchen. The victim was checking under the hood of the vehicle when Funez-Martinez returned outside, and Funez-Martinez began stabbing the victim repeatedly. The victim tried to escape to a yard across the street, but Funez-Martinez followed him and continued to stab him. Funez-Martinez ultimately stabbed the victim 59 times and knocked out multiple teeth. After the stabbing, Funez-Martinez dragged the victim to his vehicle and placed his body in the trunk. He then fled to the rear of his residence. Witnesses reported Funez-Martinez’s location to responding officers, who apprehended him that morning. At the time of arrest, Funez-Martinez had multiple cuts on his hand.

During the investigation, Funez-Martinez admitted to the murder. The victim’s blood was found on Funez-Martinez’s hands, the knife used in the attack, as well as the sweatshirt that Funez-Martinez was wearing.

At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Constance Kopelman told the judge, “The defendant was particularly violent, extraordinarily dangerous. He needs to be incarcerated for as long as possible. He committed the most brutal murder I have ever seen. This was an awful way for Marco Alexander Pulido-Castro to die.”

She furthered, “The defendant killed the victim over a really small amount of money that he actually owed the victim. [The victim] suffered. It was just cruel. It just doesn’t get more cruel than what he did to Marco Alexander Pulido-Castro. – He was brutally killed for working. He didn’t get to enjoy his later years. He didn’t deserve to take his last breath on Gateway Boulevard, face to the ground, being stabbed.”
 

Sentence

Count 1 – Second Degree Murder

• 40 years with all but 35 years suspended

Count 2 – Wear and Carry of a Dangerous Weapon with the Intent to Injure

• 3 years
• Consecutive to Count 1

5 Years of Supervised Probation

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State v. Delorean Andre Romond Skinner, C-08-CR-24-000046

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, December 20, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Monise A. Stephenson sentenced Delorean Andre Romond Skinner, 38, of Nanjemoy, to 25 years in prison for Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Second-Degree Rape. Upon release, Skinner will be on supervised probation for five years. Skinner must also register as a Tier III Sex Offender and be under lifetime supervision.

On October 3, 2024, Skinner was found guilty of the above charges by a Charles County jury.

On September 1, 2023, an officer with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office spoke with the 13-year-old victim’s father at the District 1 Station. The victim’s father reported that the victim was sexually abused by Skinner at his Nanjemoy residence.

An investigation revealed that Skinner was in a trusted position of temporary care, custody, and responsibility for the supervision of the then 12-year-old victim over a course of time in 2023. During that time, Skinner performed fellatio on the minor and sent him numerous sexually exploitative text messages.
The victim’s father looked through the victim’s phone in August of 2023, where he saw inappropriate messages being sent by Skinner. Upon questioning, the victim told his father about the assault. His father then contacted police.
During sentencing, the assigned Assistant State’s Attorney told the judge that the incident was “a grave betrayal of trust” and that the defendant had “grooming and predatory behavior.”
 
Sentence
Count 1 – Sex Abuse of a Minor
• 20 years with all but 13 years suspended

Count 2 – Second-Degree Rape
• 15 years with all but 12 years suspended
• Consecutive to Count 1

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State v. Ryan Lamont Bell, C-08-CR-21-000325

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, December 19, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Ryan Lamont Bell, 38, of La Plata, to 35 years in prison for Conspiracy to Commit the First-Degree Murder of Leon Nathaniel Inabinett, Jr. and the Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence. Bell will be on supervised probation for 5 years upon release.

Bell pled guilty to the aforementioned charges on November 14, 2022.

On June 20, 2021, officers responded to the Bryans Road Firehouse in the 3000 block of Livingston Road in Bryans Road. Upon arrival, officers discovered victim Inabinett suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in a hallway inside the firehouse. The victim was transported to a local hospital but, unfortunately, was pronounced deceased as a result of his injuries.

An investigation revealed that the victim attended a birthday party at the firehouse before the incident. Bell’s co-defendant, Jahad Karim Frierson, had an issue with the victim due to a prior incident. After learning the victim’s location, Frierson contacted Bell to help confront the victim. Frierson and Bell rode to the firehouse together and hid in bushes waiting for the victim to come out. At the end of the party, the victim was carrying a tray of cookies to put in a vehicle in the rear parking lot. Frierson and Bell approached the victim while he was outside. Frierson brandished a handgun given to him by Bell, struck the victim and then shot him several times. After the shooting was over, both Frierson and Bell fled in the same vehicle. The victim was able to make it inside the firehouse to try to get help but collapsed in the hallway.

An ankle monitor that Bell was wearing for a separate incident indicated that Bell’s location was at the firehouse at the time of the murder. Cell phone records also place Bell and Frierson in the area at the time of the murder. Surveillance video depicts the two confronting the victim and running away.

The handgun used to kill the victim was located in Bell’s vehicle. Bell reported to investigators that he took the gun after the murder and cleaned it.

At sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Constance Kopelman told the judge that the victim was “loved by so many people” and Bell and Frierson “took him away from all of his family, all of his friends, all of the people that he wanted to make a positive impact on.” She furthered that this was a “senseless act against an innocent man. – He had no idea he was about to be ambushed. They confronted an unsuspecting young man with cookies. It could only end in violence and the defendant understood that. It really doesn’t get more senseless than that. His life was senselessly snuffed out over nothing. He didn’t deserve it. He walked out with cookies and ended up being brutally murdered by Bell and Frierson.”

Before sentencing Bell, the Honorable Judge West stated, “Leon was a lot of things to a lot of people; very few people are inspirational. When people like that vanish from the community, the loss is felt more than what can be described here.” He furthered, “the loss is tremendous. The circumstances are extreme, harsh, and brutal.”
 
Sentence

Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder
• 100 years with all but 35 years suspended

Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence
• 20 years with all but 5 years suspended
• Concurrent

5 Years of Supervised Probation

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State v. Vincent Anthony Fisher, II, C-08-CR-22-000544

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, December 19, 2024, Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Vincent Anthony Fisher, II, 49, to 104 years in prison for two counts of First-Degree Arson and the Second-Degree Murders of Rashawn Cline and Dashawn Cline.
Fisher was found guilty of the aforementioned charges by a Charles County jury on September 27, 2024.

On March 31, 2022, officers and fire department personnel responded to a townhome in Waldorf for the report of a residential house fire. Upon arrival, the home was fully engulfed in flames. Fisher was located outside of the residence with injuries from an assault that took place before the fire. After extinguishing the fire, fire department personnel located two deceased victims, later identified as 27-year-old Rashawn Cline and her eighteen-month-old daughter, Dashawn Cline, in an upstairs bedroom.

An investigation revealed that Fisher, who lived at the residence, was involved in a physical altercation with two other males, one being another resident of the house, before the fire started. The altercation began inside the residence but continued outside after Fisher jumped out of his second-story window. When the altercation was over, Fisher remained at the house with the victims while the other males left. Soon after the males left, Fisher intentionally started a fire on a mattress located in the living room of the residence before going outside. The fire extended to the remaining rooms of the first floor and upstairs to the second floor, where the victims were located. The fire completely destroyed the residence.

Video footage from a neighbor’s house captured Fisher walking toward the home before the fire started.

Two lighters were discovered in Fisher’s pants when he was apprehended. During the course of the investigation, it was also found that Fisher had Phencyclidine (PCP) in his system during the incident.

Before the incident, Fisher was told by another resident that he could no longer live at the townhome due to his drug use. Fisher started the fire on the last night he could stay at the residence.

During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Jonathan Beattie told the judge, “There is an old adage that no parent should have to bury their child, but this is worse than that.” Speaking of the arson, he stated, “Whenever one takes those types of actions, the consequences that can flow from that can be unimaginable. – It’s selfish, pointless, and, unfortunately, the results are unimaginable.” He also stated that “we’ll never know who [the 18-month-old victim] would’ve become. The reason we will never know is because of the actions of Mr. Fisher. There is no worse First-Degree Arson than one that results in the death of two people and the complete loss of the structure.”

Before sentencing Fisher to 104 years in prison, the Honorable Judge West stated, “The level of chaos created that night, extremely high, off the charts. – It seems to me that in some respects the defendant preyed upon the kindness of a family. He was being put out and he should’ve just left. This is one of the most serious cases I can imagine. Beautiful child, beautiful family. Gone. The level of loss, you can’t describe it.”

 
Sentence

Count 1
• Second-Degree Murder of Rashawn Cline
• 32 years

Count 2
• Second-Degree Murder of Dashawn Cline
• 32 years
• Consecutive

Count 3
• First-Degree Arson (of victims’ residence)
• 25 years
• Consecutive

Count 4
• First-Degree Arson (of neighboring house)
• 15 years
• Consecutive

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State v. Jahad Karim Frierson, C-08-CR-21-000327

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, a Charles County jury, after a 9-day trial, convicted Jahad Karim Frierson, 27, of Waldorf, of the Second-Degree Murder of Leon Nathaniel Inabinett, Jr.

On June 20, 2021, officers responded to the Bryans Road Firehouse in the 3000 block of Livingston Road in Bryans Road. Upon arrival, officers discovered victim Inabinett suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in a hallway inside the firehouse. The victim was transported to a local hospital but, unfortunately, was pronounced deceased as a result of his injuries.

An investigation revealed that the victim attended a birthday party at the firehouse before the incident. Frierson had an issue with the victim due to a prior incident. After learning the victim’s location, Frierson contacted co-defendant Ryan Lamont Bell to help confront the victim. Frierson and Bell rode to the firehouse together and hid in bushes waiting for the victim to come out. At the end of the party, the victim was carrying a tray of cookies to put in a vehicle in the rear parking lot. Frierson and Bell approached the victim while he was outside. Frierson brandished a handgun given to him by Bell, struck the victim and then shot him several times. After the shooting was over, both Frierson and Bell fled in the same vehicle. The victim was able to make it inside the firehouse to try to get help but collapsed in the hallway.

An ankle monitor that Bell was wearing for a separate incident indicated that Bell’s location was at the firehouse at the time of the murder. Cell phone records also place Bell and Frierson in the area at the time of the murder. Surveillance video depicts the two confronting the victim and running away.

The handgun used to kill the victim was located in Bell’s vehicle. Bell reported to investigators that he took the gun after the murder and cleaned it.

On November 14, 2022, co-defendant Bell entered a guilty plea for Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder and Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence. His sentencing date is December 19, 2024.

A sentencing date for Frierson is scheduled for February 6, 2025, at 1 p.m. He faces 40 years in prison.

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