Gang member sentenced to 28 years in Triangle shooting | News

Sean Marquise Hughes Jr., 20, of Temple Hills, Maryland, was recently sentenced to 28 years in prison for an April 2023 drive-by shooting in Triangle.

But prosecutors dropped separate murder charges against him in connection with the July 2022 fatal shooting of Brian Marshall II, 20, of Woodbridge.

Hughes, identified as a member of the Bloods street gang by Prince William Commonwealth's Attorney Amy Ashworth, was charged with both crimes along with Elijah Douglas Hadley, 19, of Woodbridge. Hadley still faces several criminal charges in connection with the April 2023 drive-by shooting as well as Marshall's murder, which occurred in Dumfries.

Hughes' conviction earlier this year was the first obtained by Ashworth's office in connection with the alleged series of violent crimes committed by Hughes and Hadley in the county.

A jury sentenced Hughes on Feb. 2 for his role in the drive-by shooting, which occurred at a residence in the 3500 block of Wharf Lane in Triangle. A police investigation determined Hadley threatened his ex-girlfriend on Instagram while brandishing a gun, punching and shouting her address. After learning of the threats, police went to Hadley's ex-girlfriend's Triangle home to warn residents, according to court documents.

While a police detective was outside the house, Hughes and a then-minor accomplice, believed to be Hadley, drove by and fired several shots toward the house. A 58-year-old woman who was inside was struck and injured but survived. Prince William County police Detective S. Davis and another bystander were standing outside the residence when the shots were fired, according to court records.

The suspects fled the scene and were later apprehended in Maryland, where they were found with one of the firearms used in the shooting, according to a press release issued by Ashworth's office on May 30.

Hughes and Hadley were indicted by separate grand juries in the July 2022 fatal shooting of Marshall.

Shortly after Marshall's death, police released video of two young men brazenly firing their guns between two rows of Dumfries townhouses in a bid to identify the suspects.

Hadley's jury trial on murder charges stemming from Marshall's shooting death is scheduled to begin Oct. 28, and his trial for his alleged involvement in the drive-by shooting is scheduled for Dec. 16, according to court records.

Ashworth's office dismissed murder charges against Hughes on Feb. 28, according to court records.

In an email, Ashworth would not specifically explain why the charges against Hughes were dropped, saying only that Marshall's murder was “still under investigation” and that Hadley was still under investigation. of accusations.

Both incidents played a role in last November's election because of complaints from the Prince William County police union about Ashworth's handling of the lawsuits. The union cited the incidents in its approval of Ashworth's Republican opponent, Matt Lowery, who lost to Ashworth last fall.

At the time, Ashworth disputed the union's description of the facts and confirmed that a then-juvenile suspect, now believed to be Hadley, had been arrested and was in jail on murder charges.