Charles County Circuit Court Judge William R. Greer Jr. on Thursday, October 9, 2025, sentenced Nasir Maurice Cooper, 19, to 12 years in prison for conspiracy to commit carjacking. Following his release, Cooper faces five years of supervised probation. A violation of those terms could add eight more years behind bars.
The case stems from an incident on June 9, 2024, in the 3200 block of Old Washington Road in Waldorf, where Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to reports of a carjacking outside the Food Lion grocery store. The victim, approached by two men in the morning hours, described a confrontation that escalated quickly. One suspect, identified as co-defendant Steven Nathaniel Franklin, pulled a handgun and threatened to shoot her during a struggle over her purse. Cooper stood by the victim’s vehicle as Franklin issued the threat. The woman handed over her purse and fled into the store for assistance.
Franklin and Cooper then entered the vehicle with the purse and drove away southbound. Deputies later learned the pair had examined a Mercedes for sale in the area beforehand. Franklin’s fingerprints on that vehicle helped investigators link him to the scene.
The stolen car, a 2019 black Toyota Camry with Maryland tags 7DY6180, dark tinted windows and black rims, turned up in Prince George’s County. When local police tried to pull it over, the driver sped into Washington, D.C. Officers cornered the vehicle, but both occupants ran. They caught Franklin behind the wheel and Cooper as the passenger. Cooper wore shoes matching the victim’s description of one assailant, along with a black Nike face mask she had noted.
Inside the purse, the suspects held the victim’s credit and debit cards, which they used for purchases at multiple spots. Cooper pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on August 22, 2025.
Franklin, the primary actor, faced steeper charges. On May 9, 2025, he admitted guilt to armed carjacking and wearing, carrying and transporting a handgun. Judge Greer handed down the same 12-year prison term that day, plus five years probation and a potential eight-year extension for breaches.
Maryland law treats carjacking as a serious felony, with penalties reaching up to 30 years in prison for a conviction. Conspiracy to commit it, as in Cooper’s case, carries similar weight when tied to violent acts like threats or weapons. Armed versions, like Franklin’s, amplify sentences due to firearm enhancements under state statutes. These cases often fall under Maryland’s robbery framework, where taking property from a person by force or intimidation qualifies, but carjacking specifies motor vehicles.
Under Maryland guidelines, probation terms for such offenders include regular check-ins, substance abuse monitoring if applicable, and restitution payments to victims. Courts tailor these based on factors like prior records — neither defendant had extensive histories noted publicly — and rehabilitation potential. The five-year supervised period aims to ease reentry while enforcing compliance through random tests and employment mandates.
