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Charles County Circuit Court Judge William Greer, Jr. sentenced Marc Carlyle McLaughlin to life in prison, plus 30 years for the first-degree felony murder of Kenneth Brawner, attempted armed robberies, and related charges following his conviction in May.
On Sept. 21, 2020, Tony Covington, the State’s Attorney for Charles County said that officers responded to the Master Suites Hotel in the 2200 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf, where there was a reported shooting.
Upon arrival, officers said that they found Brawner in one of the hotel’s rooms with a gunshot wound to his stomach.
Covington said that he was treated and transported to Prince George’s County Hospital Center for treatment, where he was later pronounced dead.
The investigation determined that before the shooting, McLaughlin conspired with Terrence Wills to rob the occupants of Brawner’s hotel room.
McLaughlin knocked on the door of Brawner’s room, gained entry, and brandished a gun, investigators said.
Witnesses stated that McLaughlin demanded money from Brawner and then shot him. He then left the scene after the shooting and discarded the sweatshirt that he was wearing in an attempt to evade police.
Specifically, McLaughlin was charged with:
- First-degree murder;
- Multiple counts of use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence;
- Attempted armed robbery;
- First-degree assault;
- Firearm possession with a previous felony conviction;
- Wearing, carrying, or transporting a handgun;
- Conspiracy armed robbery;
- Conspiracy to commit home invasion;
- Conspiracy to commit armed robbery;
- Conspiracy to commit first-degree assault.
Assistant State's Attorney Kathryn Marsh asked for the maximum sentence from Greer in court on Monday, Aug. 15.
“We are here because of the actions of the defendant. He has a long history of taking what he wants without regard to the consequences,” she said. “The defendant’s history shows he is not willing to comply with the law.”
Greer made note that Brawner was living in the hotel room where he was murdered, saying that “people have the right to feel safe in their residence, whether permanent or temporary – that right was violated in the most egregious manner.”
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