ROCKVILLE, Md. – One of the men convicted of murdering a Maryland father in 2024 and dumping his body in the woods was sentenced on Friday to 30 years in prison plus a suspended life sentence. 

The victim’s family says the sentence doesn’t go far enough.

Murder sentence

What we know:

DeAngelo McRoy was sentenced on Friday for the murder of Delondre Sawyer. 

The sentencing guideline in this case was life plus 30 years, but Judge Sharon Burrell decided to suspend the life sentence. McRoy will be eligible for parole in about 15 years.

Victim’s family ‘disappointed’ in sentence

What they’re saying:

Sawyer’s family say they were disappointed in Friday’s sentence. FOX 5’s Bob Barnard spoke with the victim’s sister after the hearing, but said she was too upset to speak on camera.

Montgomery County prosecutor John McCarthy said “there’s a great disappointment here,” that McRoy did not receive the maximum sentence, saying that Sawyer had many family members in court Friday who gave emotional victim impact statements.

“I think they are extremely disappointed with the sentence that was given today, as we are,” McCarthy said.

3 charged with murder of man found dead in woods in Gaithersburg

Maryland father found murdered, dumped in woods

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The backstory:

McRoy is one of just three people charged with Sawyer’s murder. Police say Sawyer met McRoy, along with Quinnton Eric Brown and Alicia Carson-Brown at an apartment in Germantown on Feb. 8, 2024. 

Sawyer was driving his mom’s car when he was shot, and police said the group robbed him and dumped his body in the woods off Game Preserve Road in Gaithersburg. 

Police said the suspects were caught on surveillance cameras at a Sheetz in Germantown near the dump site, trying to use Sawyer’s stolen credit cards.

Brown was convicted of pulling the trigger last month. He will be sentenced in October. He faces a maximum sentence of life plus 135 years. Carson-Brown recently received a shorter sentence after cooperating with police.

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — With the help of an outside organization, Maryland Republican lawmakers are seeking to block a proposed constitutional amendment on congressional redistricting from appearing on the November ballot, arguing Democratic leaders violated state election law by rushing the measure through a special legislative session.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday by conservative Oversight Group in Anne Arundel County Circuit Court, names the Maryland State Board of Elections, Secretary of State Susan Lee, Attorney General Anthony Brown and Governor Wes Moore as defendants. Among the plaintiffs are members of the Maryland Freedom Caucus, including Ryan Nawrocki, Lauren Arikan, Mark Fisher, Brian Chisholm, Robin Grammer and Kathy Szeliga; Senate Minority Leader Steve Hershey and Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready are also involved.

The complaint asks the court to declare the amendment was improperly placed on the ballot and to issue an injunction preventing election officials from certifying, printing or counting votes on the measure in November.

ALSO READ | Bipartisan group launches Protect Maryland Votes as lawmakers advance amendment

The lawsuit focuses less on the proposed constitutional amendment itself and more on how it reached the ballot.

Plaintiffs argue the General Assembly ignored newly implemented election law, Senate Bill 29, that lawmakers unanimously approved earlier this year establishing new deadlines for statewide ballot questions. The law requires the Secretary of State to certify ballot language by July 1 before a general election and provide a 15-day public comment period. The redistricting amendment, however, wasn’t passed until the August special session.

According to the complaint, the legislature attempted to work around those missed deadlines by inserting a “notwithstanding any other provision of law” clause into House Bill 2100, allowing the amendment to proceed despite the statutory requirements. Plaintiffs argue that provision is unconstitutional and was added without meaningful public notice.

Del. Matt Morgan, chair of the Freedom Caucus, said the group believes the General Assembly abused the constitutional amendment process.

“Annapolis Democrats spent taxpayer dollars on a special session for one reason: to rewrite the Maryland Constitution and eliminate the last remaining Republican congressional seat,” Morgan said.

During an interview on FOX45 News In Depth with Mikenzie Frost, Sen. Hershey said that process is the heart of Republicans’ challenge.

“Maryland General Assembly was not following its own law that we all agreed to,” Hershey said. “They tried to eliminate that completely by putting some ‘notwithstanding’ language in there… saying we don’t have to actually follow the law that we just passed.”

The lawsuit also argues the proposed ballot language fails to meet Maryland law because it does not adequately explain the practical effect of a “yes” or “no” vote and could mislead voters. The claim argues the amendment doesn’t include the impact of the “notwithstanding” clause that overrides existing election law.

ALSO READ | GOP plans court challenge after Maryland lawmakers approve redistricting amendment

Hershey echoed that concern during his FOX45 interview, rejecting Senate President Bill Ferguson’s claim that the language is clear.

“We’ve spent the last 32 hours in Annapolis talking about districts for General Assembly members? Of course not. That’s not why we were there. So, it is intentionally confusing.”

Democratic leaders have defended both the amendment and the special session.

During an interview on FOX45 News In Depth with Mikenzie Frost Thursday, before the lawsuit was officially filed, Senate President Bill Ferguson said the proposed constitutional amendment seeks to clarify redistricting rules following a judge’s ruling in 2022 that dealt with regulations for congressional map making.

“This is giving Marylanders a voice in what is an incredibly important conversation about the future of democracy,” Ferguson said.

He also dismissed Republican criticism of the ballot language.

“I think it’s incredibly clear,” Ferguson said. “I think this was a bit of a red herring.”

Ferguson also argued that the amendment is necessary because of recent legal developments surrounding congressional redistricting nationwide and said Maryland needs to be prepared if future redistricting battles emerge.

ALSO READ | Maryland lawmakers pass proposed redistricting constitutional amendment after two days

Del. Kathy Szeliga, who was one of the plaintiffs in the successful 2022 lawsuit that struck down Maryland’s congressional map, said Republicans believe the legislature improperly changed the rules governing constitutional amendments.

“Four years ago, I was the lead plaintiff when Judge Lynne Battaglia struck down the Democrats’ extreme partisan gerrymander,” Szeliga said. “Today, the Maryland Freedom Caucus is once again leading the fight to stop them from changing the rules midstream. The process matters.

The GOP lawmakers are asking the court to fast-track the case due to the November election timeline and are requesting an expedited hearing before a three-judge panel.

If the court agrees with Republicans, the amendment could be removed from the November ballot. By contrast, if the lawsuit is unsuccessful, Maryland voters will decide whether to approve the constitutional amendment while campaigns both supporting and opposing the measure continue statewide.

Attorney Michael Howell from The Oversight Project is representing the lawmakers. The organization describes itself as a group working “to expose and root out corruption in government, among elected officials, and in our most influential organizations.”

Follow Political Reporter Mikenzie Frost on X and Facebook. Send tips to mbfrost@sbgtv.com.

THURMONT, Md. (WBFF) — A beaver that attacked a 19-year-old fisherman in Cunningham Falls State Park on Aug. 5 tested positive for rabies, the Maryland Department of Health confirmed Thursday.

This is the second beaver to test positive for the rabies virus at the state park within the past two weeks.

“Rabies can infect mammals through a bite or a scratch. Once an animal or person starts showing symptoms, it is almost always fatal unless treatment is given,” said Barry Glotfelty, Director for Frederick County Health Department’s Environmental Health Services.

As this time, officials have closed The Houck day use area, boat ramp, and the Big Hunting Creek above the lake. All use of the closed areas is prohibited until the area can be confirmed safe for visitors.

The effort is expected to take several days, said officials.

The first case occurred on July 26, when a teenager was bitten by a beaver in the designated swimming area. The incident led officials to close the swimming beach while crews searched for the animal.

A day later, that beaver tested positive for rabies.

Health officials are urging people who have been bitten or scratched by a beaver near Cunningham Falls State Park to talk to their health care provider and call the FCHD’s Community Health Services Office at 301-600-3342.