A Montgomery County jury has found 35-year-old Silver Spring resident Jeriel Martin guilty of second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime in the 2024 shooting death of 34-year-old Jamar Jenifer.
The jury returned its verdict on September 11 in Montgomery County Circuit Court. Martin faces up to 60 years in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on December 15.
Montgomery County Police responded on the morning of September 2, 2024, to an alley in the 8000 block of 13th Street in Silver Spring, where Jenifer was found suffering from gunshot wounds and pronounced dead at the scene. Surveillance video captured a brief interaction between Jenifer and Martin before Martin approached Jenifer, pulled out a handgun and shot him four times, according to prosecutors. Jenifer was unarmed.
Prosecutors said Martin and Jenifer knew each other, although a motive for the shooting has not been determined. Martin, who had previously been incarcerated for gun possession, was on probation at the time of the shooting.
During the trial, jurors heard a recorded conversation in which prosecutors said Martin compared killing Jenifer to squashing a bug, stepping on an ant or smacking a fly on a wall.
“This defendant displayed a stunning lack of remorse and outlook on the ability to take a life,” State’s Attorney John McCarthy said. “Jamar Jenifer was a son, father, and brother. We will continue to seek justice for Mr. Jenifer and his family at sentencing.”
