A 40-year-old Maryland man, Richard Bennaugh, will most likely spend the rest of his life in prison for the 2024 murder of his roommate. He fatally shot Dominique Scott Hayes during an argument over the TV remote location.
Videos by Suggest
According to a press release issued by the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, Bennaugh was sentenced to 50 years in prison on September 12. He was previously convicted of second-degree murder on June 3 in connection with the Hayes’ shooting death.
“Today’s sentence is about honoring the life of the victim and acknowledging the pain their family has endured,” State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said. “While no sentence can erase the grief they feel, we hope this outcome brings them a measure of comfort.”
“We are grateful to our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their dedication to this case, and we remain committed to working tirelessly to bring justice to victims and their families by holding offenders of violent crime responsible.”
Bennaugh was also convicted of use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence and tampering with evidence, the release detailed.
Fatal Shooting
As reported by Law & Crime, the incident occurred back in January 10, 2024. Local police officers arrived at Bennaugh’s residence on Berrywood Lane in Springdale. They found, at around 12:30 p.m., that Hayes had sustained multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced deceased shortly after. His body was found lying in his bedroom.
Richard Bennaugh told the police that he woke up at around 5:30 a.m. due as Hayes was “making a lot of noise.” The victim, according to the 40-year-old, then yelled out for the location of the TV remote.
Initially ignoring Hayes, Bennaugh then claimed that he walked behind the couch to confront him. He was still asking for the TV remote’s location. As he removed a blanket from his eyes, Bennaugh said he saw Hayes holding two knives. He grabbed his gun and pointed it at Hayes.
Hayes backed away from him at first. Then, he taunted him, saying he wouldn’t fire the gun, according to the now-convicted murderer. Bennaugh, in turn, responded, “There’s only one way to find out.”
Moments later, Bennaugh opened fire at Hayes, who ran away. The man told the police that he saw bullet holes. However, he wasn’t sure if he had hit Hayes, as he didn’t see any blood. He went back to sleep.
Prosecutors stated that, even while Hayes turned his back on Richard Bennaugh to escape, he was fired upon multiple times.
Convicted Murderer
Bennaugh then drove to a friend’s house and talked about what had occurred. He then bought marijuana at a dispensary and returned home. As per prosecutors, he told other people about what happened, all of them imploring him to call 911, which he did, Law & Crime reported. He, however, flushed the spent bullet casings down the toilet, authorities said.
Jurors believed the prosecutors, and now Bennaugh will spend decades behind bars, potentially for the rest of his life.
“My son mattered and was chased down like a dog and murdered, and the jury and the judge saw right through it,” Monique Scoot, Dominique’s mother, said, as per Fox 5. “While I don’t have a lot of faith in the justice system, it did work this time.”