LEONARDTOWN, MD (December 16, 2025) – State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced today that Lee L. Richardson, 24, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was sentenced to LIFE in prison for the first-degree murder of a 19-year-old victim.
In January 2025, the victim’s family reported their loved one missing. The family communicated daily with the young man until January 21, 2025, when all communications suddenly ceased.
Following a thorough and comprehensive investigation, investigators from the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office determined that Lee Richardson, a person known to the victim, had murdered the victim by shooting him in the head. Investigators further learned that Richardson attempted to conceal the crime by cleaning up the scene inside the victim’s residence located in Hollywood, Maryland.
“After murdering his friend in a senseless betrayal, the Defendant callously disposed of the victim’s body,” said State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling. “The Defendant murdered someone who trusted him, lied to the victim’s family about his involvement or knowledge, and left them to discover the truth on their own when they found their son’s body in a trash can. A life sentence is the only just outcome for the devastating harm the Defendant caused to this innocent family.”
Detective Benjamin Raley of the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office was the lead investigator.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorneys Donna Pettersen and Alena Mosier prosecuted the case on behalf of the citizens of St. Mary’s County.
The Honorable Joseph Stanalonis presided over the case.
