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Emmanuel Simmonds, 16, copped to his role in bringing a fresh round of grief to a Montgomery County family earlier this year inside the Wheaton Metro Station, prosecutors announced.
Gaithersburg resident Emmanuel Simmonds pleaded guilty to murder and weapon offenses for his role in the shooting death of 18-year-old Tenneson Vaughn Leslie, Jr., of Greenbelt, who was shot in the back of the head during a dispute at the station.
On May 18, two groups who were strangers to each other at the time got into an altercation on an escalator, during which Simmonds pulled out a gun and shot Leslie as he and his friends were running away from the area, officials say.
His body was found at the bottom of the escalator by responding police officers.
Leslie was rushed to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he later died two hours after the shooting.
Officials noted that Simmonds younger brother, who was 14 years old at the time of the murder, was also involved and is being tried in juvenile court.
According to prosecutors, a review of surveillance photo found that Simmonds was seen wearing a black hoodie with a bright red logo that read "BAD HABITS but GOOD INTENTIONS" with the other minor, and both boarded a train and attempted to get rid of the weapon.
Both Simmonds were ultimately tracked down and arrested in Montgomery County.
Simmonds pleaded guilty on Thursday, Dec. 28.
Prosecutors say that as part of his plea, Simmonds' executive time behind bars will be capped at 40 years and the State is expected to recommend he be admitted to the Patuxent Youthful Offenders program.
The Patuxent Institution opened in 1955 "with the mission to ensure public safety through the psychotherapeutic treatment of individuals who demonstrated persistent antisocial and criminal behavior," officials said.
"The mission has evolved over the years, but the one constant has been Patuxent’s role as a hub for treatment services for the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services."
Simmonds also was arrested in 2022 for a strong armed robbery, officials noted. He was tried as an adult in this case.
“This was a shockingly brazen, callous act by a young offender," Montgomery County State's Attorney John McCarthy said.
"(Simmonds) executed a young man on a crowded metro platform, not only claiming one innocent life but placing many other people at risk as there were other citizens, simply using the metro system, that easily could have been struck by a bullet."
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