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Michael Dolson, 37, of Upper Marlboro, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for the March 2022 stabbing death of Silver Spring resident Kenneth Thomas, 42, federal authorities announced.
Prosecutors noted that Thomas was a Howard University graduate with a Masters of Divinity and a licensed minister at the time he was killed.
Court documents say that on Sunday, March 13, 2022, Dolson and a friend went to the Cloud Lounge on 9th Street NW in DC.
The couple was seated at the back of the business, away from other patrons, ordered cocktails and smoked marijuana, despite the club’s rule against the consumption of marijuana on the property.
Thomas approached them and asked to sit at the table, which he did for an hour and a half, according to prosecutors.
"As the evening wore on, Dolson became annoyed with the victim and gestured for Thomas to sit elsewhere," they said. "Thomas did not oblige so Dolson slashed Thomas on the face with a hidden knife he brought into the nightclub."
When Thomas stood up to Dolson, he lunged at him, stabbing him in the chest. He then fled the club with his companion.
Thomas was rushed to an area hospital, where he later died from the stab wounds.
Dolson was arrested on April 5, 2022 and has been in custody since.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter while armed in March. Following his prison term, a judge also ordered he serve five years of supervised release.
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