The man convicted of killing a Maryland second grade teacher who disappeared after she visited a park in Greenbelt, Maryland, in 2023 received the maximum sentence.
Harold Landon III was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in the murder of Mariame Toure Sylla.
His attorney argued Landon didn’t remember what happened because of his drug use. But prosecutors say he knew exactly what he was doing. There are still questions surrounding the case that some fear will never be answered.
Sylla disappeared after she went for a walk in Schrom Hills Park near her home in Greenbelt. After a frantic search to find her, her torso was found in a retention pond at a business park in Clinton. The rest of her remains have never been found.
To this day, the motive for the violent attack is unknown.
“That is disheartening because you want to bring everything to closure that you possibly can, so that is disturbing, and not knowing how or why is disturbing as well,” Sylla’s attorney said.
Landon did not speak in court, but his attorney told the judge Landon’s father was volatile and violent and that Landon was introduced to substance use, particularly alcohol, at a young age. He drank beer at age 7 and used PCP at 13, the attorney said. He described his issues as a “volatile cocktail that led to the tragedy in this case.”
Due to drug use, Landon didn’t remember what happened during the time of the crimes, his attorney said.
But prosecutors didn’t buy it.
“This act was not caused by some type of rage based on substance abuse; it was premeditated. It was calculated before, during and after,” Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said.
Prosecutors said they found Sylla’s DNA on some of Langdon’s belongings and her clothing in the bed of his pickup. Their cellphones were in the same area when she disappeared. His truck was spotted at the retention pond where her remains were found.
Sylla’s sister and son spoke remotely. His sister said she still doesn’t understand why she was killed and didn’t think Landon showed any regret. Sylla’s son said his mom’s murder has left him completely lost.
Landon’s sister also spoke and described him as a great father and her best friend.
Sylla was a dedicated teacher at Dora Kennedy French Immersion School, a sister and a mom whose legacy will never be forgotten, prosecutors said. Her family said she came to the U.S. from the Ivory Coast in search of a better life and didn’t deserve how her life ended.
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