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, June 27, 2024, a Charles County jury, after a 4-day trial, and approximately 2.5 hours of deliberation, convicted George Christopher Floyd, 44, of the Second-Degree Murder and False Imprisonment of Triston Treshaun Irvin, as well as related charges.
Commenting on the verdict of the case, State’s Attorney Tony Covington stated, “Thankfully, the jury saw this case for what it was: an unjustifiable, outrageous taking of a young, innocent life. How can anyone, including this defendant, George Floyd, even think to put someone in a chokehold for 20 minutes and expect the victim to survive? Everyone knows you can’t, and this defendant knew it too. He didn’t care. Pure depravity which amounted to murder.”
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 the floor in a bathroom. Officers also made contact with Floyd, the victim’s stepfather. Floyd reported to officers that he put the victim in a neck restraint because the victim was trying to run away. The victim ultimately became unresponsive as a result of the neck restraint. Emergency Medical Services rendered aid to the victim then transported him to the hospital for further treatment. However, he, unfortunately, died as a result of the restraint.
An investigation revealed that Floyd, the victim’s mother, and the victim were engaged in a verbal disagreement the night before the murder but went to bed peaceably. Floyd entered the victim’s bedroom at approximately 5 a.m. the next morning and demanded that the victim clean his room. Shortly after, Floyd began to restrain the victim, ultimately putting him in a neck restraint. 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 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 the neck restraint around the victim 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 for emergency personnel. When the victim remained unresponsive for approximately 5-10 minutes, Floyd called 911.
A sentencing date for Floyd has been set for August 16, 2024. He faces over 75 years in prison.
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