Baltimore Man Pleads Guilty to Murder
In December 2011 Slaying in Northeast Washington
- Victim Was Stabbed Multiple Times -

     WASHINGTON - John Smith, 46, of Baltimore Md., pled guilty today to a charge of second degree murder while armed in connection with the recent slaying of a woman in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Smith pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, and will be sentenced on March 30, 2012, by the Honorable Robert E. Morin. He faces up to 40 years in prison.

     At the plea hearing, Smith admitted that between December 2, 2011, and December 3, 2011, he was with the decedent, Elaine Coleman, 47, inside her home in the 500 block of 23rd Place SE. During this time, he stabbed the victim numerous times, and she died as a result of her injuries. Smith was arrested on January 3, 2012.

     In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Machen commended those who worked on the case from the Metropolitan Police Department, including Detectives Anthony Patterson, Paul Regan, Douglas Carlson Sean Cain, and Anthony Paci, and Crime Scene Search Officer Curtis Lancaster. He also commended Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney and Victim Witness Advocate Tamara Ince of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Finally, he praised the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Cobb, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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