‘His Generosity Ultimately Led to His Demise,’ Says Prosecutor at Murder Sentencing

By Namita Nair [former] - July 16, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | stabbing | Suspects | Victims |

A homicide defendant was sentenced by DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe on July 12, to 10 years in prison with five years of supervised release for the murder of her father. 

Brittany Gaylor, 32, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for her involvement in the fatal stabbing of her 70-year-old father, James Gaylor. The incident occurred on the 1600 block of 6th Street, NW, on Feb. 10. James succumbed to his injuries on Feb. 11. 

According to court documents, James was able to tell officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) that Brittany had been the one to stab him, before succumbing to his injuries. 

At the hearing, the prosecution requested that Gaylor be sentenced above the minimum sentencing guideline of 90 months. The prosecutor acknowledged that mental health played a large part in Gaylor’s actions towards James. 

James’ niece offered a written victim impact statement that was read aloud by the prosecutor. She stated that she had been “devastated and in complete turmoil” since the death of her uncle. 

“For him [James] to be taken by the hands of his own daughter is something that haunts me,” wrote James’ niece in her letter. 

The prosecutor, in his request to Judge O’Keefe, highlighted that Gaylor had threatened James with a knife before,  stating that James’ “generosity [in letting Gaylor continue to stay with him] ultimately led to his demise.” 

Gaylor’s attorney, Todd Baldwin, requested that Gaylor be sentenced to 90 months, emphasizing the clear mental health struggles that Gaylor was experiencing at the time. 

Baldwin argued that during her pretrial sentencing evaluation, Gaylor spoke of hearing voices and that those voices told her to harm her father. Baldwin stated that Gaylor felt a tremendous amount of guilt and “everyday that [went] by [Gaylor] miss[ed] her father.”

Judge O’Keefe insisted there is a legitimate concern that Gaylor could attack another individual in the future, as there was no clear explanation as to why it happened on Feb. 10. 

He sentenced Gaylor to ten years incarceration with five years of supervised probation under the supervision of the mental health unit. 

Gaylor must take part in multiple mental health programs.