LA PLATA — A Charles County man was sentenced to 48 years in prison for the fatal stabbing of one victim and the assault of another during an early-morning attack at a Waldorf residence.
Scott Anthony Goldsmith, 55, received the sentence May 14 from Circuit Court Judge H. James West. A Charles County jury convicted him March 9 of second-degree murder of Timothy Louis Portzen and first-degree assault of a surviving victim.
On Oct. 3, 2023, officers with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office responded to a Waldorf residence for a reported stabbing. They found the surviving victim, who reported she had been stabbed in the neck and had a visible wound extending from her right shoulder to her back. She was flown to a hospital for treatment and survived her injuries.
Officers also located Portzen in a bedroom suffering from multiple stab wounds to the chest. Emergency medical services attempted lifesaving measures, but Portzen was pronounced dead at the scene.
An investigation revealed that during the early morning hours of Oct. 3, Goldsmith arrived at the victims’ residence and was greeted by the surviving victim. Goldsmith demanded to see the victim’s boyfriend, who was not at the residence, and Portzen. Goldsmith pushed past the victim and stabbed her in the neck. He then proceeded to Portzen’s bedroom, where he stabbed Portzen nine times. The surviving victim retreated to her bedroom and heard the sound of a struggle before Goldsmith left the residence.
Goldsmith was later apprehended. While incarcerated, he admitted to the murder and to discarding the knife used in the attack. Investigators also discovered the victim’s blood on a tire that Goldsmith had punctured following the murder.
During sentencing, Assistant State’s Attorney Kate Edmands told the judge, “The facts of this case warrants an above guideline sentence,” and asked the judge to hold Goldsmith accountable for the acts against the victims.
Before imposing the 48-year sentence, Judge West said, “[The victim] wasn’t looking for any trouble with Goldsmith. This is really a tragic way to go. He probably, when he walked into the house that day, thought he was safe. He didn’t deserve to die.”
The case was prosecuted by the State’s Attorney’s Office for Charles County. No further details on parole eligibility or credit for time served were released in the announcement. Goldsmith remains in custody.
The sentencing closes a case that began with the Oct. 3, 2023, response by sheriff’s deputies. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation leading to Goldsmith’s arrest and conviction.
