Man handed 65-year sentence in mistaken identity killing of Baltimore police captain's husband

BALTIMORE -- A man convicted of killing the husband of a Baltimore City Police captain last year was handed a maximum sentence of 65 years Friday.

Sahiou Kargbo, 19, was found guilty in February of second-degree murder but was acquitted of first-degree murder.

James Blue's family asked for the maximum sentence—and as WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren reports, that's exactly what they got.

WJZ investigator Mike Hellgren said emotional victim impact statements were made in court Friday. Blue's mother and widow spoke about their unimaginable loss, and read letters from his devastated children.

A relative of Kargbo's passed out while leaving court and fell on the floor, Hellgren said.

"I made a terrible mistake," Kargbo said in court Friday. "There will be a stain on my soul when I meet god and I feel hellfire."

His lawyer plans to appeal the sentence.

Kargbo shot and killed James Blue III in January of last year . Blue is the husband of then-Baltimore Police Lieutenant Lakeisha Blue, now a captain in BPD's Public Integrity Bureau.

Police said Blue was in his car waiting for a delivery to his home when he was approached and shot by Kargbo. At the time, Kargbo had a warrant out for his arrest regarding an armed robbery case.

Kargbo, who was 18 at the time of the shooting, was a Mervo student. He admitted on the stand to killing Blue in self-defense.

He said he thought Blue may have been the person who shot up the house of a family friend whom he described as an "aunt" the month before.

Court documents show a 9-millimeter handgun was recovered at Kargbo's house when police arrested him days later.

In the second day of Kargbo's trial, the former Mervo High School student sat and watched footage of his Feb. 1, 2022 interrogation, exactly one year ago.

Kargbo is seen during the interrogation denying it was him in the video near the shooting scene.

WJZ has previously reported Blue's murder was a case of "mistaken identity," per multiple sources.