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La Plata native Damion Anqwan Wilson, 42, was sentenced to 20 years in prison following an incident earlier this year at a Dash In location when he broke out a gun during an altercation while still on parole.
Prosecutors say that on Jan. 17, officers were called to the 600 block of Charles Street in La Plata, where there was an altercation involving Wilson and a stranger, during which, the former pointed a gun at his victim before walking away.
The victim then called the police and provided a description of Wilson, who was located near the gas station and apprehended following a brief foot chase and struggle with responding officers.
According to the state's attorney's office, in September 2022, Wilson was placed on parole for the second-degree murder of Cooke, who worked at the State's Attorney's Office as a victim witness coordinator.
Cooke was shot and killed in 2000 by Wilson during a domestic dispute that Wilson was having with Cooke’s daughter.
“I’ve been doing this job for a very long time; there are some cases that pop up and are very concerning. This is one of those cases,” assistant State's Attorney John Stackhouse said at Wilson's sentencing.
He furthered that Wilson did not take “responsibility for the horrible crime he did in 2000.” Instead, “he comes out of prison and points a gun at somebody else.”
Stackhouse stated that this incident is “about as serious as you can get” when coupled with someone on parole for murder and requested an above-guideline sentence to “protect the community.”
Wilson pleaded guilty in August to:
- First-degree assault;
- Possession of a firearm with a felony conviction;
- Possession of cocaine.
"This is the type of case that shows, at its very best, the level of poor decision-making in spite of a past record," Judge James West said before handing down the sentence. "It’s astonishing. The decision-making, type of offense, and the history give great concern.”
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