Mechanicsville man convicted of murder of stepfather

A Mechanicsville man was found guilty of murder last week following a four-day trial.

A St. Mary’s County jury convicted Marvin Orlando Johnson, 39, Mechanicsville of first-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence for the premeditated shooting and killing of his stepfather on May 24, 2023.

St. Mary’s sheriff’s deputies arrived at an apartment at the 29000 block of Three Notch Road in Mechanicsville at around 5:28 a.m. that day for the report of a man suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. Patrol officers arrived and located the victim, Raymond Franklin Woods Jr., 54, of Mechanicsville, dead on a couch.

According to a release from the state’s attorney’s office, “The victim was immediately pronounced deceased by responding law enforcement officers, who observed the victim appeared to have been shot in the head while he was sleeping.”

Detectives with the sheriff’s office continued the investigation, along with the Crime Lab Unit and a forensic investigator from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. The gunshot wound was determined to be a homicide, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

As a result of the investigation, Johnson was charged with first-degree murder, second-degree murder, use of a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence, and first- and second-degree assault.

Following the guilty verdict, Johnson is being held without bond pending a sentencing hearing where he faces a maximum penalty of life plus twenty years in prison.

“My hope is the verdict provides peace and a sense of justice for this family who are living with the unimaginable nightmare of a beloved family member murdered at the hands of another family member,” St. Mary’s State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling (R) said in the release. “I would like to thank the members of the law enforcement and prosecutorial team who worked diligently in the successful investigation and prosecution of this tragic homicide.”

Additionally, Marlee Lynn Stokes, 37, of Charlotte Hall was charged with first-degree murder: accessory after the fact, and second-degree murder: accessory after the fact in connection to the homicide. Stokes pleaded guilty to the accessory charge last October and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, suspended to three years plus five years of probation, according to court documents.

Judge Amy Lorenzini presided over Johnson’s trial last week. Detective Andrew Burgess of the St. Mary’s sheriff’s office was the lead investigator and Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Maylor and Assistant State’s Attorney Zach Varda prosecuted the case.