WASHINGTON — A man was convicted Friday of first degree murder and attempted first degree murder for fatally shooting a woman and injuring a man at a hotel in North Laurel, Maryland last year.
Kenneth Frizzell Diggs Jr., 48, of no fixed address, could face a maximum sentence of life without parole.
The Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office said the shooting stemmed from a dispute over $300.
On July 2, 2016, officers responded to reports that two people were shot at the motel on U.S. Route 1 at around 4:30 a.m. Amanda Duer, 29, of La Plata, Maryland, died of a single gunshot wound to the chest. The other person, Derik Henderson, 34, of Laurel, was shot in the leg but survived.
Prosecutors claim Diggs had come to the Turf Motel seeking revenge for a robbery. Citing court testimony, the Howard County State’s Attorney’s Office said that Duer told two of her friends that Diggs had robbed her of $300, so they robbed him at another hotel.
Diggs went to the Turf Motel to get his money back, prosecutors said.
Diggs’ trial lasted for five days, with the jury deliberating for three hours before delivering a guilty verdict.
He is scheduled for sentencing on Oct. 19.
