A 54-year old Howard County man was sentenced to 30 years in prison Friday for attacking his former girlfriend and her daughter last summer.
Raymond Samuel Watson, of Gwynn Oak, had entered an Alford plea in April after being found guilty of second-degree attempted murder.
An Alford plea is a way for a person to enter a plea without admitting guilt.
According to police, Watson repeatedly stabbed Shirley Green with a meat cleaver and beat her with a pry bar in front of her North Laurel home last August, then did the same to Green's daughter, Nija, when she came to her mother's aid.
Watson, who was wearing dark clothing and hiding in the bushes of Green's neighbor's home, had been upset because she had broken off their relationship, prosecutors said. Watson's attorney, Timothy Gunning, said that his client had brought the cleaver and pry bar with him in case he was attacked by Green's current boyfriend or son.
Circuit Judge Richard S. Bernhardt sentenced Watson to consecutive 15-year terms for each attack, calling Watson's actions a "severe, serious form" of second-degree attempted murder.
Bernhardt added that while Shirley Green had recovered from the deep wounds and other injuries, she still suffers from "deep emotional scars every time she looks in the mirror." Before Bernhardt handed down his sentence to conclude a five-hour court session, Watson apologized.
"From my heart, I'm sorry for what I did," Watson said, looking at Green.
A native of Jamaica who holds a green card, Watson faces deportation at the conclusion of his prison term.
