Woman pleads guilty in hotel stabbing death of DLA Piper lawyer
A woman accused of killing DLA Piper associate David Messerschmitt at a Washington, D.C., hotel has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed.
Jamyra Gallmon, 21, pleaded guilty to the reduced charge on Thursday, report the Blog of Legal Times, the Washington Post, NBC Washington and WJLA.
Prosecutors say Gallmon planned to rob Messerschmitt, 30, after posing as a man in response to his Craigslist ad. When she met Messerschmitt at the Donovan Hotel on Feb. 9, she told police, he grabbed her arm, triggering a flashback to an earlier assault. She stabbed him seven times, and took $40 in cash and a subway card loaded with $172.
Gallmon’s roommate, Dominique Johnson, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery. She admitted helping plan the robbery and to buying zip ties with Gallmon at a CVS across the street from the hotel.
Prosecutors will seek a sentence of 18 to 25 years in prison for Gallmon. Johnson faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Messerschmitt’s widow was in court during the proceedings and began to cry during a description of her husband’s wounds.
Police had sought help identifying Gallmon by releasing a surveillance video, but they found her through online and cellphone records, according to NBC Washington.
