La Plata, MD – Tony Covington, State’s Attorney for Charles County, announced that on Thursday, February 6, 2025, Charles County Circuit Court Judge Donine Carrington Martin sentenced Jahad Karim Frierson, 27, of Waldorf, to 35 years in prison for the second-degree murder of Leon Nathaniel Inabinett, Jr. Frierson also received a consecutive sentence of 1,067 days for violating probation in an unrelated case.
A Charles County jury convicted Frierson of the charges on December 3, 2024.
Fatal Shooting at Bryans Road Firehouse
On June 20, 2021, officers responded to the Bryans Road Firehouse in the 3000 block of Livingston Road in Bryans Road for a reported shooting. Upon arrival, they found Inabinett suffering from multiple gunshot wounds in a hallway inside the firehouse. He was transported to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Investigators determined that Inabinett had attended a birthday party at the firehouse before the shooting. Frierson, who had a prior dispute with the victim, learned of his location and contacted co-defendant Ryan Lamont Bell to confront him. The two men traveled together to the firehouse, hiding in nearby bushes as they waited for Inabinett to exit the building.
As the party ended, Inabinett carried a tray of cookies outside to a vehicle in the rear parking lot. Frierson and Bell approached him, with Bell handing Frierson a handgun. Frierson then struck the victim before shooting him multiple times. Inabinett managed to make his way back inside the firehouse but collapsed in the hallway. Frierson and Bell fled the scene in the same vehicle.
Key Evidence Leads to Convictions
An ankle monitor that Bell was wearing for a separate incident placed him at the firehouse at the time of the murder. Cell phone records also confirmed that both Bell and Frierson were in the area. Surveillance footage captured the two men confronting the victim before running away.
The firearm used in the shooting was later found in Bell’s vehicle. Bell admitted to investigators that he took the weapon after the murder and attempted to clean it.
On November 14, 2022, Bell pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. He was sentenced to 35 years in prison on December 19, 2024.
Prosecutor Calls for Maximum Sentence
During Frierson’s sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Constance Kopelman urged the judge to impose the maximum penalty of 40 years, emphasizing the calculated nature of the crime and Frierson’s disregard for the law.
“He needs to be prevented from committing any other act like this for as long as possible,” Kopelman said. “He didn’t care that he was on probation when he committed this murder.”
She described the attack as a brutal ambush, emphasizing that the victim was defenseless.
“Leon did not see this coming. The defendant ambushed him, and Leon had nothing to protect himself with. He was carrying cookies,” she told the court.
Kopelman further stated that Frierson’s actions robbed Inabinett of his future, calling the crime “senseless” and intolerable.
“The defendant destroyed the victim’s right to the life he chose. In a society, we cannot tolerate this senseless gun violence. The defendant showed no mercy, no humanity. It is senseless. It is not okay, and it needs to be punished.”
Frierson will serve his sentence in state prison.
