According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Margaret Schweitzer, a jury found defendant, Geofrey Gaitan, 31, of Silver Spring guilty of attempted murder in the second degree for a near-fatal attack on his landlord in a dispute over rent.”
Per the news release: The jury returned the verdict late yesterday April 24, 2024. Gaitan faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on July 25, 2024.
This was the third time this case was tried in Montgomery County Circuit Court, as two previous trials concluded with a hung jury. It stems from an incident on April 19, 2020, in a home on the 9700 block of Hastings Drive in Silver Spring. The defendant severely beat his then 63-year-old landlord, hitting the victim several times with two solid wood table legs and stomping on his head after he fell to the ground. The victim suffered multiple skull fractures and permanent, traumatic brain injury.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Jennifer Harrison and Teresa Casafranca are handling prosecution of this matter.
“Our dedicated attorneys remained committed to seeking justice for this victim and his family. This was an unprovoked attack on an innocent man and the defendant will now be held accountable,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
