An 18-year-old in Prince George’s County, Maryland, was acquitted of a murder charge in the fatal shooting of a teen girl outside a high school last year — but was convicted of assault and firearms crimes.
The jury’s verdict came Friday after a weeklong trial in Prince George’s County Circuit Court.
Abdurahman Diaby was acquitted of the most serious charge — first-degree murder — in the death of 16-year-old Jayda Medrano-Moore. However, the jury found him guilty of first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and using a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said Diaby faces up to 55 years in prison on the lesser charges, when he is sentenced later this year.
“He will be off of our streets for decades, we believe, and we look forward to presenting our arguments at the sentencing phase,” Braveboy told reporters during a news conference outside the courthouse after the verdict Friday.
Diaby, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was tried as an adult.
Authorities said Medrano-Moore was walking near the high school shortly after the school day had dismissed on Sept. 11, 2023, when a fight sparked by a “petty beef” between students of DuVal High School and another school broke out.
During the fight, police said Diaby pulled out a gun and shot Medrano-Moore when she attempted to intervene to protect her brother.
Three additional teens were arrested earlier this year and charged in Medrano-Moore’s killing.
“In no way was Jayda, in any way, the cause of what happened,” Braveboy said. “She was there. She was trying to protect her brother. … So Jayda was nothing short of a hero that day, and we will continue to seek justice for her.”
Braveboy told reporters she believed her office had a strong case against Diaby and said the Medrano-Moore family was disappointed by the verdict.
“This was a conspiracy. These young people brought weapons to a school, followed other children home, and pulled those weapons out, and an individual is dead,” Braveboy said, adding later, “This was not a close call.”
Braveboy said she had an opportunity to speak with jurors after their split decision.
“I do believe that this was a compromise verdict, not necessarily based on the facts, but based on, more so, their impressions of how young people are these days,” she said.
She added later, “When juries deliberate, they raise issues that sometimes we don’t think that they would raise, and we can’t predict the things that will stick out to them.”
The three other teens charged in Medrano-Moore’s killing are set to go on trial later this year and early next year.
WTOP’s John Domen and Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.
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