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