LA PLATA, Maryland. – Charles County District Attorney Tony Covington announced that on Thursday, June 27, 2024, after a four-day trial and approximately 2.5 hours of deliberation, a Charles County jury found George Christopher Floyd, 44, guilty of alleged second-degree murder and false imprisonment of Triston Treshaun Irvin, and related charges.
Prosecutor Tony Covington commented on the verdict: “Fortunately, the jury saw this case for what it was: the unjustified, outrageous killing of a young, innocent life. How could anyone, including the defendant George Floyd, even think of putting someone in a chokehold for 20 minutes and expecting the victim to survive? Everyone knows that’s not possible, and this defendant knew that too. He didn’t care. Pure depravity that amounted to murder.”
On October 8, 2023, officers responded to a residence in Waldorf on a report of a person not breathing. When officers arrived, they found the 18-year-old victim unconscious on the floor of a bathroom. Officers also made contact with Floyd, the victim’s stepfather. Floyd reported to officers that he had placed the victim in a neck restraint because he was trying to run away. The victim eventually became unresponsive due to the neck restraint. Emergency medical services rendered aid to the victim and transported him to the hospital for further treatment. Unfortunately, however, he died as a result of the restraint.
An investigation revealed that Floyd, the victim’s mother, and the victim were involved in a verbal argument the night before the murder, but went to bed peacefully. Floyd entered the victim’s bedroom around 5 a.m. the next morning and ordered the victim to clean his room. Shortly thereafter, Floyd began restraining the victim, eventually placing a neck restraint on him. The victim’s mother entered the bedroom after hearing the commotion and then asked three of the victim’s friends who were staying over and his teenage brother to help defuse the situation.
Floyd ordered the young men to help him hold the victim down and pray for him. At one point, Floyd ordered a friend of the victim to get olive oil, which Floyd then used to draw a cross on the victim’s forehead. However, Floyd kept the neck restraint around the victim for about 15 to 20 minutes while he was on the ground. During this time, the victim did not move or speak, but Floyd continued to keep his arm around the victim’s neck. When Floyd got up and saw that the victim was unresponsive, he and the other young men attempted to render aid, but did not immediately call emergency services. When the victim was unresponsive for about 5 to 10 minutes, Floyd called 911.
The sentencing date for Floyd has been set for August 16, 2024. He faces over 75 years in prison.
