According to the Washington Post, “The 27-year-old District man charged in the 2013 fatal shooting of a Howard University student during a robbery pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday.”
The Washington Post also confirms, “Rasdavid Lagarde, of Northeast Washington, faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison for the July 4, 2013 killing of Omar Sykes, a 22-year-old senior marketing major at Howard. Lagarde also pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.”
Testimony and reports show that Lagarde killed Sykes with a .380-caliber gun on accident while he was ordering him to the ground as a part of the robbery.
Sykes was also with a friend that day who was shot but was not killed. In fact, Largarde refused to tell authorities who was with him during the robbery.
Sykes’s mother, Sherry Sykes, who attended the hearing, said she was glad the case was nearing an end. “We believe in redemption and our prayer is Mr. Lagarde pulls himself together and is able to become a productive citizen once he is released,” reported the Washington Post.
