LA PLATA, MD — A La Plata man will spend 35 years in prison after being sentenced for his role in the 2021 killing of Leon Nathaniel Inabinett, Jr. Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West handed down the sentence to 38-year-old Ryan Lamont Bell on December 19, 2024. Bell had previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
Bell will also face five years of supervised probation after his release.
The Crime
On June 20, 2021, officers responded to a shooting at the Bryans Road Firehouse on Livingston Road. They found Inabinett inside, suffering from several gunshot wounds. Although he was rushed to a hospital, he did not survive.
Investigators learned that Inabinett had been at a birthday party at the firehouse earlier that evening. Bell’s co-defendant, Jahad Karim Frierson, had a prior conflict with Inabinett and decided to confront him. Frierson asked Bell to help.
The two drove to the firehouse and hid outside, waiting for the party to end. As Inabinett walked to a car carrying a tray of cookies, Frierson approached him with a handgun that Bell had provided. Frierson struck Inabinett and then shot him multiple times. Surveillance cameras captured Bell and Frierson fleeing the scene.
Despite his injuries, Inabinett managed to make it back inside the firehouse but collapsed in a hallway.
Evidence and Investigation
Several pieces of evidence tied Bell to the murder. An ankle monitor he was wearing for a different case placed him at the scene, and cell phone records confirmed that both Bell and Frierson were in the area.
Police also found the handgun used in the shooting in Bell’s car. Bell later admitted to cleaning the weapon after the incident.
During Sentencing
At the sentencing hearing, Assistant State’s Attorney Constance Kopelman described the crime as both senseless and brutal. “They confronted an unsuspecting young man with cookies,” she said. “His life was senselessly snuffed out over nothing.”
Judge West also reflected on the impact of the crime, calling Inabinett “inspirational” to many and describing the circumstances as “extreme, harsh, and brutal.”
The Sentence
Bell received:
- Conspiracy to Commit First-Degree Murder: 100 years, with all but 35 years suspended.
- Use of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence: 20 years, with all but 5 years suspended (served concurrently).
After his release, Bell will be on supervised probation for five years.
A Community Loss
Inabinett was remembered as a beloved member of the community who had a positive impact on those around him. His death left a void that, as Judge West noted, can never truly be filled.
The sentencing brings some measure of closure for Inabinett’s family and friends, though the loss remains profound.
