A Maryland man was sentenced Friday in the brutal murder of his wife in 2021.
Reginald Dunlap Jr., 45, of Silver Spring, was sentenced to life in prison for the first-degree murder of his wife, Lauren Charles, then 40. According to Montgomery County, the life sentence includes all but 55 years suspended to serve, and five years of supervised probation upon release.
Court charging documents show that on March 7, 2021, Montgomery County police responded to a call from Dunlap stating that he found his wife deceased in their home in the 11600 block of College View Drive. Upon arrival, police said they found Charles dead inside the home with signs of trauma to her body.
A representative from Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said Charles had asphyxiated after a pillowcase was forced down her throat and is believed to have been beaten to death with a decorative Buddha statue. The representative said Dunlap then poured bleach on Charles’ body and staged a crime scene.
Dunlap was then arrested and charged with first-degree murder on March 8, 2021 and was found guilty on March 10, 2023.
After prosecuting this case, Assistant State’s Attorneys Debbie Feinstein and Sheila Bagheri are reminding those in need of domestic violence resources to visit the county’s Family Justice Center Home resource.
Editors note: This story has been updated to reflect the correct date of the trial.
