UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — A man convicted of killing a veteran D.C. police detective was given the maximum allowable sentence on Thursday, although that sentence left many of the victim’s family members tearful and frustrated.
Antwan James, 30, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter, after being convicted by a jury last year. That jury acquitted him of first- and second-degree murder charges.
“Based upon that verdict I am confined to 10 years,” said Judge Melanie M. Shaw Geter in handing down the sentence. “That’s all I can give out.”
Geter told James he would be getting a second chance, as his family members had pleaded for, because “I can’t sentence you to life.”
James shot his stepfather, Det. Joseph Newell, multiple times outside their Upper Marlboro, Maryland home in April 2013 following a dispute over yard work. The killing was captured on video by a security camera mounted at a nearby home.
Prosecutors maintain that James should have been convicted of a more serious charge.
“This is someone who basically stated what he was going to do, by saying ‘watch this,’ then went outside after retrieving a gun, shot Mr. Newell while he was on a ladder, and then as he lay on the ground, shot him 18 more times,” said John Erzen, a spokesman with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Erzen said the crime was charged as a common law murder, opening up all possible theories of the killing to a jury, from first-degree murder on down.
The defense argued that James was traumatized by his work as a D.C. firefighter, had an alcohol problem and had also consumed synthetic drugs on the day of the killing.
It was also suggested that he had mental health issues. James claims to have no memory of the crime.
James, with long, braided hair and wearing an orange inmate’s uniform, spoke before his sentencing, saying he is “truly heartbroken” and that “there are no words I can say today that can adequately express my remorse.”
The courtroom was packed with members of both sides of the family. Among those asking for leniency was James’ mother, who was married to Newell at the time of the killing.
Bernadette James-Newell told the court she was not ashamed to be fighting for her son, whom she said was acting completely out of character at the time of the killing.
“I saw a demon” take control of James’ body, James-Newell said.
Newell’s 20-year-old daughter, Jalen, reacted outside the courthouse after the sentence came down.
“I’m happy that he got his full 10 years, even though I felt like it should be way more,” she said, crying.
Newell’s brother-in-law, Terrence Berry, also spoke to reporters about the 10-year sentence. While saying he had respect for the legal system, he said, “it’s unfortunate that 12 individuals could not see what we saw, [and] could not comprehend what the law actually is. Murder is murder. It’s not involuntary manslaughter, its murder.”
James has been jailed since just after the 2013 incident and will be credited for time served, effectively reducing his full sentence to about seven years.
