Deandre Ricardo Williams, the man charged with the murder of 22-year-old student Justin DeSha-Overcash, will be sentenced April 20 and could face 30 to 60 years if found guilty.
Williams, 24, appeared in Prince George's County Circuit Court in Upper Marlboro Friday afternoon and pleaded "not guilty statement of facts" for his involvement in the Jan. 11, 2011, murder at DeSha-Overcash's off-campus home on 38th Avenue, according to WTOP. The plea means that, although he was not admitting guilt, the defense and the state agree to the evidence for first-degree murder and handgun crimes. It also means that Williams will not see a trial and will instead be directly sentenced in April.
The agreed upon evidence says that Williams entered DeSha-Overcash's home to rob him of money and marijuana. When DeSha-Overcash threw a glass jar at Williams' head, Williams allegedly shot DeSha-Overcash twice in the abdomen. Williams then fled from the home in a car driven by alleged accomplice Stephan Weaver, who admitted to his involvement in the robbery. Weaver pleaded guilty to armed robbery and gun charges and awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled for March 5.
Although police believe DeSha-Overcash, a fifth-year senior astronomy and physics major, was a drug dealer — authorities said they seized an amount of marijuana from his home sufficient to indicate intent to distribute, including a digital scale and packaging materials — Karen DeSha, his mother, has previously demanded Prince George's County Police Department officers apologize and retract claims that her son was a drug dealer.
On Jan. 23, 2011, county police made a rare exception in showing DeSha police evidence to prove that police were doing everything they could to identify and prosecute her son's killer.
"My son was a good guy," DeSha told The Diamondback a year ago. "He would have never hurt nor harmed anyone. I'm not going to tell you he did not smoke marijuana. I really don't care that he smoked marijuana. It's something people do in college and then your front lobe develops and you go, ‘Gee, what an idiot I was.'"
DeSha-Overcash's murder was the 13th in the county in as many days in January 2011.
egan@umdbk.com
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