Marcus Mclean was sentenced Friday to 24 years in prison for the stabbing death of Delando King.
Mclean pled guilty in April to one count second-degree murder while armed.
In a sworn statement he admitted to going with King to King’s apartment early in the morning of Aug. 8, 2010 to have sex. But once inside the apartment, and with King undressed, he stabbed King more than two dozen times with a kitchen knife, threw bleach on King’s body, and stole the man’s wallet, credit card, i-pod, laptop computer, and a bag. He used the credit card to purchase refreshments, clothes, and see a movie before being arrested about six days later.
“I really don’t know what to say to make [King’s family] happy or to change anything,” Mclean said at sentencing Friday. “I’m immensely ill and I really need help.”
“Please help me,” he asked Judge Robert Morin.
Prosecutors in the case asked Morin to sentence Mclean to 28 years in prison for King’s murder.
Morin’s sentence of 24 years is less time than the government’s request. Morin said the arguments of prosecutors and defense attorneys balanced one another out and did not tip the scales in favor of the greater punishment.
“I think the government does have a strong argument for the court to consider and that’s balanced by the defense’s,” he said.
A press release from the US Attorney’s Office is below.
District Man Sentenced to 24 Years in Prison In 2010 Murder in Northwest Washington - Victim Was Brutally Stabbed in His Apartment -
WASHINGTON - Marcus Mclean, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 24 years in prison on a charge of second-degree murder while armed stemming from a stabbing that took place at an apartment in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Mclean pled guilty in April 2012 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Robert E. Morin. The 24-year prison term represents the maximum under the court’s voluntary sentencing guidelines for the offense. Upon completion of his prison term, Mclean will be placed on five years of supervised release.
The government’s evidence showed that, on Aug. 8, 2010, Mclean met the victim, Delando King, who was gay, at a local bar. At about 3 a.m., the men walked together from a bar in downtown Washington to Mr. King’s apartment in the 1100 block of 10th Street NW.
Once inside Mr. King’s apartment, Mclean armed himself with a large butcher knife and stabbed Mr. King so that he was incapable of defending himself. Mclean then continued to stab Mr. King repeatedly, inflicting a total of 28 stab wounds to the body, including six that penetrated Mr. King’s heart. Mclean also inflicted multiple cuts to the arms, hands, and legs of Mr. King. As a direct result of these wounds, Mr. King died.
Mr. King, 34, originally from New Mexico and a member of the Navajo Nation, was an employee of the U.S. Indian Health Service at the time of his death.
Mclean suffered no injuries in the violent assault. After stabbing Mr. King to death, Mclean poured bleach on the body and attempted to the clean the crime scene. He took items of property from Mr. King, including his wallet, credit card, an iPod, and a laptop computer. Mclean used Mr. King’s credit card within an hour after the murder to purchase refreshments at a local CVS store. Over the next 36 hours, before Mr. King’s body was found, Mclean used the credit card to see a movie and purchase clothes and food. Mclean gave the iPod to his sister.
Multiple surveillance videos captured Mclean with Mr. King shortly before the murder, and captured Mclean using the credit card in various establishments in D.C. and Maryland shortly after the murder.
Since the fall of 2011, Mclean attempted to raise multiple self-defense and mental health claims, to include insanity. Mclean was found criminally responsible and sane at the time of the murder by Court and government experts.
As part of his plea, Mclean admitted that Mr. King did not threaten, harm, or assault him prior to or during the murder, and that Mclean did not act in self-defense. Mclean further admitted that he was sane at the time of the murder and that he acted willfully, intentionally, and voluntarily when he stabbed Mr. King to death.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department detectives and officers who were involved in the investigation and prosecution of this case, including members of MPD’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit.
U.S. Attorney Machen also cited the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including paralegal Kelly Blakeney and victim advocate Marcey Rinker. He also thanked Michael Ambrosino, Special Counsel for DNA and Forensic Evidence Litigation, Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Kennedy, and paralegal Benjamin Kagan-Guthrie, who assisted with the mental health issues raised by the defense; Assistant U.S. Attorney J.P. Cooney, who assisted with preparation of the case for trial, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
