Maryland Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Prison on Murder and Other Charges in 2015 Shooting

            WASHINGTON – Mark Beasley, 45, of Laurel, Md., was sentenced today to 40 years in prison for a shooting that killed one man and wounded another, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Beasley was found guilty by a jury in July 2017 of first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and related weapons offenses. The verdict followed  a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable José M. López. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, April 25, 2015, Darryn Conte, his older brother, and a close family friend went to the Takoma Station Tavern in Northwest Washington to support their friend, a percussionist in a band.  At the end of the night, at about 2 a.m. on April 26, 2015, the close family friend was driving Mr. Conte to his truck that was parked nearby when they were approached by Beasley. An argument ensued.  Mr. Conte and his close friend eventually drove into the next block, the 400 block of Butternut Street NW, where Mr. Conte’s vehicle was parked, to wait for Mr. Conte’s brother and the percussionist. 

            As they waited, Beasley approached their vehicle. While Mr. Conte’s brother and the percussionist looked on, Beasley opened fire on the vehicle.  Mr. Conte, 39, was shot multiple times and died. His friend was shot once and survived his injury. Beasley was arrested on April 30, 2015 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Deputy Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas Coleman; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Clark and Diana Lim; Program Specialist Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen; Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Kimberly Smith; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Sharon Newman; Paralegal  Specialist Alesha Matthews-Yette, and Interns Sanjana Biswas, Alexandra Maher, and Simone Umwalla.

             Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gary Wheeler and Michelle D. Jackson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.