MURDER USA: Michael Rashid Moore avoids life sentence by making plea deal on the murder of Walter Thomas in Waldorf; pleas to the attempted murder of Ronald Murphy Jr.; Sentenced 35 Years for Attempted First-Degree Murder,

MURDER USA: Michael Rashid Moore avoids life sentence by making plea deal on the murder of Walter Thomas in Waldorf; pleas to the attempted murder of Ronald Murphy Jr.; Sentenced 35 Years for Attempted First-Degree Murder,

LA PLATA, MD—Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Friday, September 11, 2020, Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer, Jr. sentenced Michael Rashid Moore, 23 of Waldorf, to 35 years in prison for the Attempted First-Degree Murder of Ronald Murphy, Jr., Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence, and Conspiracy to Commit the First-Degree Murder of Walter Thomas.

On January 29, 2020, Moore entered a guilty plea to the aforementioned charges.

On March 3, 2019, officers responded to an apartment complex in the area of Amber Leaf Place in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found victim Murphy lying on the floor of an apartment bedroom, suffering with multiple gunshot wounds. Murphy was treated on scene then transported to the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center, where he was further treated. At the hospital, two bullets were discovered to have traveled to his neck and one bullet traveled to his lung; however, thankfully, he survived.

Two days later, on March 5, 2019, officers responded to the 3000 block of Gallery Place in Waldorf for the report of a missing person. Officers canvassed the area and discovered victim Walter Thomas lying face down by a bike path in the area of Freemantle Court. Thomas, who suffered a single gunshot wound, was unresponsive and pronounced deceased at the scene.

An investigation into the shootings revealed that months prior to Murphy’s shooting, Moore and an acquaintance of Murphy got into a physical altercation. On March 3, 2019, Moore saw Murphy outside of his apartment complex in the area of Amber Leaf Place and Wakefield Circle.During the evening hours, Moore waited by the dumpster and saw Murphy leaving in his vehicle. Moore approached the rear of Murphy’s vehicle and began shooting, because of the prior altercation. Before fleeing, Moore fired off five rounds at Murphy while he was driving his car. Murphy was shot three times in his back.

 During the course of the investigation, Moore admitted to detectives that he shot Murphy. Moore also stated that he conspired with another individual to cover up the shooting by doing a random armed robbery that would result in another shooting if the victim gave resistance. Moore supplied the bullet for the shooting.

 On the evening of March 4, 2019, Thomas was walking with a friend in the area of Fairchild Court in Waldorf. The men were approached by a suspect who commanded them to not run away. Thomas’ friend was able to flee unharmed; however, Thomas was shot. Thomas attempted to flee the area but collapsed a short distance away.

 During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Tiffany L. Campbell called Moore’s actions “senseless, tragic, and selfish” and asked for the maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, pursuant to Moore’s plea agreement.

C-08-CR-19-000377

Count 1

  • Attempted First-Degree Murder of Ronald Murphy, Jr.
  • 80 Years Suspend All But 35 Years

 Count 2

  • Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence
  • 5 years without parole, Concurrent with Count One

C-08-CR-19-000502

Count 1

  • Conspiracy to Commit the First-Degree Murder of Walter Thomas
  • 80 Years Suspend All But 35 Years, Concurrent with Other Counts
  • 5 Years Supervised Probation Upon Release

WALDORF, MD. – Crime Town Waldorf is really going to miss this dirtbag, Michael Rashid Moore, who committed two acts of armed violence in the drug-filled hamlet of Waldorf, located not far from the killing fields of PG County.

On January 29, 2020, Michael Rashid Moore, 22, (DOB 05/17/1997) of 3849 Pine Cone Circle, Waldorf, Md., entered a guilty plea in Charles County Circuit Court, in front of Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer Jr., to the Attempted First-Degree Murder of Ronald Murphy Jr., Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence, and Conspiracy to Commit the First-Degree Murder of Walter Thomas.

THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY – ALL CRIME ALL THE TIME – Copyright 2019

On March 3, 2019, officers responded to an apartment complex in the area of Amber Leaf Place in Waldorf for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, officers found victim Murphy lying on the floor of an apartment bedroom, suffering with multiple gunshot wounds. Murphy was treated on scene then transported to the University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center, where he was further treated.

Charles County States Attorney Tony Covington reports that at the hospital, two bullets were discovered to have traveled to Murphy’s neck and one bullet traveled to his lung; however, he survived.

Two days later, on March 5, 2019, Charles County Sheriff’s Department Patrol officers responded to the 3000 block of Gallery Place in Waldorf for the report of a missing person. Officers canvassed the area and discovered victim Walter Thomas lying face down by a bike path in the area of Freemantle Court. Thomas, who suffered a single gunshot wound, was unresponsive and pronounced deceased at the scene.

An investigation into the shootings revealed that months prior to Murphy’s shooting, Moore and an acquaintance of Murphy got into a physical altercation. During the evening hours of March 3, 2019, Moore saw Murphy seated in his vehicle in the area of Amber Leaf Place and Wakefield Circle. Moore approached the rear of Murphy’s vehicle and began shooting at him because of the prior altercation. Before fleeing the area, Moore shot Murphy three times in his back.

During the course of the investigation, Moore admitted to detectives that he shot Murphy. Moore also stated that he conspired with another individual to cover up the shooting by doing a random armed robbery that would result in another shooting if the victim gave resistance. Moore supplied the bullet for the shooting.

On the evening of March 4, 2019, Thomas was walking with a friend in the area of Fairchild Court in Waldorf. The men were approached by a suspect who commanded them to not run away. Thomas’s friend was able to flee unharmed; however, Thomas was shot. Thomas attempted to flee the area but collapsed a short distance away.

A sentencing date has been set for March 26, 2020. Moore faces 40 years in prison pursuant to his plea agreement.

Moore has outstanding indictments from crimes committed in 2017 for theft, burglary, and malicious property destruction that were issued on Feb. 14, 2020, with trial set in Circuit Court on March 13, 2020.

Darren Miller, (DOB 03/13/1995), of 2710 Minnesota Ave., SE Washington, D.C., is represented by Thomas Mooney, of Upper Marlboro, Md., in his trial set for March 30, 2020, in Charles County Circuit Court at 9 am in Courtroom D for indictments issued by the Charles County Grand Jury on May 3, 2019. 

Miller was charged along with Moore for the homicide of Walter Thomas.

Darren Miller faces criminal indictments of:

  • First-degree murder
  • Three counts of use of a firearm in a violent crime
  • Three Counts of Attempted armed robbery
  • Three counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery

Darren Miller’s arrest on murder charges in Charles County was a silver lining to a dark cloud that hovered over him in Prince George’s County where eight traffic charges involving failure to maintain insurance, failing to control his speed in adverse weather, following too closely and speed greater than reasonable when he was cited for his role in a crash. All of the charges were dropped by the PG County States Attorney on Nov. 4, 2019.  Upper Marlboro attorney Kenneth Joy represented Miller.

Darren Earl Miller, 24, of D.C., and Michael Rashid Moore, 22, of Waldorf, drove up to 18-year-old Walter Eugene Thomas as he walked on Fairchild Court March 4 and tried to rob him, according to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office.





“Tragic case,” said Diane Richardson of the Charles County Sheriff’s Department in an interview with NBC4 Washington. “We don’t see this in Charles County. The victim and his friend were just walking down the street. They were leaving a house, walking toward another, and the suspects just approached, and it appears that they just randomly fired that gun.”

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