Dakari Thomas. Via MCSAO.
.A man was sentenced for a fatal 2021 stabbing on Ellsworth Drive in downtown Silver Spring
Dakari Thomas, 20, of Silver Spring was sentenced last week to 25 years in prison with all but 12 years suspended, plus five years of supervised probation after release, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office (MCSAO).
The judge recommended he be part of the Patuxent Youthful Offenders program while in prison.
In July, Thomas pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for stabbing and killing Getro Marius Benamna, according to MCSAO.
Per MCSAO, Thomas and Benamna began a drug transaction along the 900 block of Ellsworth Drive in Dec. 2021. Thomas was trying to pass off a substance as marijuana, and the men got into a physical altercation. Thomas produced a knife and fatally stabbed Benamna, according to MCSAO.
In Dec. 2021, police announced they arrested and charged Thomas, who was 18 at the time, for fatally stabbing Benamna, who was 19.
In a written statement, Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said, “Once again, this was a situation where a fight over marijuana led to the loss of a young life in our community. The State requested an executed sentence of 25 years, but we respect the Judge’s decision in this matter. Our hearts remain with the family of Getro Benamna.”
