In the early hours of a Sunday morning in Washington, D.C., a night out for 39-year-old Darryn Conte and his companions took a tragic turn. On April 26, 2015, at approximately 1:59 a.m., Conte, a male resident of Waldorf, Maryland, was shot and killed in the 400 block of Butternut Street, NW. He had spent the evening at the Takoma Station Tavern with his older brother and a close friend, there to support another friend who was performing in a band.
As the night came to a close, an
argument ensued between Conte's group and another man, later identified as Mark Beasley. Following the dispute, Conte and his friend drove to the 400 block of Butternut Street NW to wait for his brother and the musician. It was there that Beasley approached their vehicle and opened fire. Conte was struck multiple times and died from his injuries; his friend was also shot but survived.
The Metropolitan Police Department swiftly launched a homicide investigation. Their efforts led to the arrest of Mark Beasley on April 30, 2015. Beasley, from Laurel, Maryland, was subsequently charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed, and related weapons offenses. In July 2017, a jury found him guilty on all counts, and he was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
However, the legal proceedings did not end there. In 2019, Beasley successfully appealed his conviction. The appeal was granted based on issues related to the exclusion of Black jurors during his trial. This decision led to the overturning of his conviction and the scheduling of a new trial. As of late 2024, the retrial for Mark Beasley was underway, with both the prosecution and defense presenting their cases once more to a new jury.
