Man Sentenced to 15 Years For Murder That Occurred Last April; State’s Attorney Calls Sentence “Stunning” and “Disappointing”

Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, judge Jeanne Cho sentenced defendant, Tyrone Curtis, to life in prison suspend all but 15 years and five years of supervised probation upon release for the murder of 29-year-old Amontae Cunningham. State’s Attorney John McCarthy called the sentence “stunning” and a press release by the office of the state’s attorney referred to the sentence as “disappointing.”

According to the office of the State’s Attorney, “this stems from an incident on April 5, 2023, at approximately 12:25 p.m. The defendant and victim became engaged in a verbal altercation on a Metro Transit bus in Wheaton. The victim exited the bus when it stopped in front of 11304 Amherst Avenue. The defendant followed the victim off of the bus with his knife blade out and to his side and then stabbed the victim one time in the upper torso. The victim fell on the sidewalk. Video of the incident was captured by surveillance cameras on the bus.”

Curtis was convicted by a jury on January 24, 2024, on the charge of first-degree murder for the death of 29-year-old Amontae Cunningham. “The State sought a life sentence in this case and finds an executed sentence of 15 years to be stunning. It is inconsistent with the facts of the case and the verdict returned by the jury. Right now, our hearts are with the victim’s family,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.