In the pre-dawn hours of August 5, 2014, the quiet of a New Carrollton, Maryland, apartment complex was broken by the sound of gunshots. When police responded to a call at approximately 3:50 a.m. in the 7800 block of Riverdale Road, they discovered the body of a man lying on the grass behind one of the buildings. The man, identified as 24-year-old Damato Anthony Coates of Silver Spring, had suffered an apparent gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators from the Prince George's County Police Department's Homicide Unit quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence and began the work of piecing together the events that led to the young man's death.
The investigation revealed that on the evening of August 4, 2014, Damato Coates had met up with a man named Donte Fung and they had gone behind the Heritage Square Apartments. There, they joined a group of six to ten people for a dice game that started around 11:30 p.m. Among those present was Ian Christopher Murdaugh, who was seen carrying a black bag with a single strap. As the night wore on, an altercation occurred, culminating in the fatal shooting. A single fired bullet, consistent with a 9-millimeter luger, was recovered from the back of Coates's neck. Two fired shell casings, later determined to have been fired from the same weapon, were found in close proximity to his body. Despite the violent end to his life, over $200 in cash was found on his person.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Ian Murdaugh and a female companion, Mobley, were seen getting into a taxi. When the driver inquired about the commotion, Murdaugh stated, 'I don't know. I think somebody got shot,' before they left the area for the night. During the police investigation, Murdaugh initially claimed that two unknown individuals had attempted to rob him and Coates and that he had fled without seeing any weapons or hearing gunshots. However, the evidence began to point in his direction.
Ian Christopher Murdaugh was eventually arrested and stood trial for the death of Damato Coates. At the conclusion of the trial in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, the jury acquitted Murdaugh of the more serious charges of first-degree and second-degree murder, as well as the use of a handgun in a crime of violence. He was, however, convicted of involuntary manslaughter, illegal possession of a regulated firearm after being convicted of a disqualifying crime, and wearing, carrying, and transporting a handgun. Following his conviction, Murdaugh filed an appeal, but the appellate court found no reversible error and affirmed the circuit court's judgment.
