Jamar George was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for second-degree murder while armed for the shooting death of 20-year-old Ronnie Speight Jr.
George, 27, pleaded guilty in February to shooting Speight eleven times in an alley off the 5100 block of Jay Street in Northeast D.C. on May 26, 2011.
Family members present for George’s sentencing told Judge John Ramsey Johnson they were unsatisfied with George’s plea deal and asked that George be sentenced to the maximum end of the guideline: 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole.
Defense attorney Brian McDaniel said George was remorseful for what he did, and said George’s plea was fair in this case.
“He is not a monster,” said McDaniel. “He is worthy of an opportunity for a certain level of redemption.”
According to plea documents, Speight, George, and a third man drove to the alley to commit a robbery which George had planned. George had organized the get-together to rob a drug dealer of multiple pounds of marijuana, charging documents state.
Outside the courtroom, one of Speight’s family members said Speight was a law-abiding citizen.
“He never had run-ins with the law, not even a parking ticket.” she said. “Material needs, and anything his hearts desired was provided for him by his family, not the streets.”
Speight’s 87-year-old grandmother, who identified herself as Ms. Short, said she could not believe the man who killed her favorite grandson was sentenced to only 15 years in prison.
“That wasn’t enough, he was my heart,” said Short. Short raised Speight, as her son after his mother died when he was three-years-old. She said she always dreamed of watching her grandson graduate from college and remembers him as being a “sweetheart,” who loved his family.
Speight is survived by a two-year old daughter.
