First defendant sentenced in 2020 murder of Waynesboro's Daynard Johnson in Hagerstown
The first defendant in the Oct. 14, 2020, shooting death of Waynesboro, Pa., resident Daynard Devere Johnson in Hagerstown was recently sentenced to 30 years in Maryland state prison, according to court records.
Washington County Circuit Court Judge Brett R. Wilson sentenced Hagerstown resident Alexander Daniel Brooks, who turned 28 on Tuesday, to a life sentence with all but 30 years suspended, according to court records.
Brooks was sentenced on May 15.
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"We are thankful that the court indicated that it would consider modifying his sentence at a later date," defense attorney David Harbin said via email. "While the State did produce evidence of Alex's guilt as a principle in the first degree, he certainly did not pull the trigger and take the young man's life."
The shooter's identity has not been released. There are two current co-defendants in the case.
A jury trial for Brock Jerome Smith, 34, of Hagerstown, is scheduled for July, according to his online case docket.
Raymond Garfield Campbell III (aka "Uno"), 35, of Hagerstown, remained at-large as of Tuesday, according to Hagerstown Police.
The Hagerstown Police Department has offered a reward for information leading to Campbell's arrest. The amount of the reward depends on the quality of the information, police have said. Tips can be emailed to Detective S. Weaver at sweaver@hagerstownpd.org.
The day after Brooks was sentenced, Harbin filed a motion to reserve the right to request a sentence modification for Brooks.
Defendants have 90 days to file for a sentencing modification.
The motion Harbin filed gives Brooks' defense team up to five years to ask a judge to reduce Brooks' sentence. According to the filing, the 90-day period is not expected to be long enough for Brooks "to demonstrate any substantial rehabilitation or treatment."
State's Attorney Gina Cirincion said Tuesday that the life sentence with all but 30 years suspended was what Assistant State's Attorney Christopher McCormack requested for Brooks.
Brooks has credit for 927 days time served, which is over 2 1/2 years, according to court records.
McCormack had no comment on the sentencing.
Cirincion said she wouldn't comment further on Brooks' sentencing because the two co-defendants' cases are pending.
Brooks entered an Alford plea to first-degree murder in the case on Jan. 9.
An Alford plea does not admit guilt, but acknowledges the prosecution has enough evidence to obtain a conviction.
Per the plea deal, other charges against Brooks in the case were dropped. Those charges included second-degree murder.
Johnson tracked leading up to shooting
When police arrived in the 300 block of Henry Avenue in Hagerstown around 10:25 p.m. on Oct. 14, 2020, they found Johnson, 40, face down on the sidewalk with bullet wounds to his head, chest, abdomen and hand, according to court documents. He was pronounced dead 11 minutes later.
Various suspects were allegedly tracking Johnson's movements and communicating via cellphones shortly before he was shot, according to charging documents.
One of the previous defendants allegedly texted inside a convenience store after he talked to Johnson in the store — the same time it appeared Smith and the shooter received a text in the Mulberry Lofts area, per surveillance footage at both sites, court records state.
Brooks and the alleged shooter got into a Dodge Ram, Smith got into a Dodge Charger and another man got into a Cadillac SUV, all three leaving fast and driving to the convenience store, court records state.
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Police reviewed city surveillance cameras to track the vehicles, court records state. The Ram, Charger and Cadillac ran two red lights on North Cannon Avenue as they headed in the direction of the Audi containing Johnson.
The Ram caught up to the Audi near Henry and Murph avenues and followed closely until it returned to that area, court records state. The Audi stopped in the middle of Henry Avenue as a man approached and talked to the Audi's occupants.
The Ram and Charger were nearby and later driving around that area. The Ram was east on Bethune Avenue, turning north toward North Avenue when Brooks allegedly dropped off the shooter and the homicide occurred, court records state.
While the shooting occurred, the Ram and Charger pulled up by each other on North Avenue and Smith was observed giving the Ram driver a "thumbs up" as he drove away, court records state. The gesture occurred about 20 to 25 seconds after Johnson was shot inside the Audi.
Hagerstown Police arrested Brooks in Ocean City, Md., two days after the shooting. They were assisted by Ocean City police, U.S. Marshals and the Maryland State Police Apprehension Team.
Johnson's murder purportedly related to West Virginia homicide
Family and friends of Johnson have told police his murder was retaliation for the September 2020 murder of Vance Anthony Trotman Jr., 26, of Hagerstown. Smith, Brooks and others were family or close friends of Trotman, according to court documents.
Trotman and Devon Gordon Jr., of Martinsburg, were shot shortly after 2 a.m. on Sept. 6, 2020, at the Mountaineer Pub parking lot at 214 Mid Atlantic Parkway north of Martinsburg. Gordon was wounded. Trotman was pronounced dead at a hospital.
Video footage showed Trotman exit the club after a fight broke out, and that he had an opportunity to leave the premises, Cpl. R.L. Steerman Jr. with the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department has said. Instead, the footage appears to show Trotman going in the direction of where Gordon was in the parking lot when the shooting occurred, Steerman has said.
The Berkeley County prosector has previously said Johnson was a person of interest in the Trotman case, which can mean investigators wanted to speak with him.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown man first to be sentenced in 2020 shooting death of Pa. man
