Background: News footage of the Prince George’s County Courthouse (WRC). Inset (left): Reginald English (Prince George’s County Police). Inset (right): Lorena Royster (Pridgen Funeral Service).
A Maryland resident has been sentenced following the tragic murder of his mother over a dispute involving her vehicle.
On Friday, 53-year-old Reginald English was handed a life sentence, with all but 72 years suspended, for the murder of his 72-year-old mother, Lorena Royster. The sentencing reflects the exact age of the victim, as requested by prosecutors in a symbolic gesture to honor her memory, according to reports from NBC affiliate WRC in Washington, D.C. The fatal altercation stemmed from an argument over the use of Royster’s car.
As detailed in court records accessed by local Fox affiliate WTTG, law enforcement was called to Royster’s Bladensburg, Maryland, apartment for a welfare check on April 3, 2024, around 11 p.m. Upon arrival, officers discovered Royster with a fatal stab wound to her neck and a handcuff on one wrist. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
Earlier that day, approximately 12 hours before the grim discovery, English was located by police after he leaped into Cox Creek, nearly 40 miles from the apartment he shared with his mother. At the time, English, who was found wearing a woman’s engagement ring, informed officers he was engaged in prayer. He was subsequently taken to a hospital for medical attention.
Several days later, English faced charges of murder.
The trial commenced in July, and courtroom reports from WRC highlighted that prosecutors argued English committed the murder following a dispute over a Toyota Camry. Furthermore, while in custody, English reportedly quarreled with his sister about the vehicle’s title. Ultimately, he was convicted on August 7.
Members of Royster’s family spoke to WRC after the sentencing, including her stepdaughter Audrey Lawrence who said, “For me, 72 years is going to forever be etched in his brain. I don’t care where he goes until the day he leaves this earth, and even when he’s in the ground, he’s probably going to remember 72.”
According to court records, English has appealed his conviction.
