A fight over $20 led to the stabbing and death of Cornelius Lyon, 36, in May 2020 in Rockville. On Monday, a Montgomery County Circuit Court jury convicted Jaime Havier Lee, 43, of second-degree murder, with a potential of 40 years in prison.
Prosecutors say on May 2, 2020, Lee and Lyon got into a verbal argument that escalated to Lee stabbing Lyon in his face, chest, left arm and neck.
Montgomery County police and Rockville City police responded to the 100 block of Frederick Avenue in Rockville, where they found Lyon’s body on the ground, according to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Witnesses say they saw Lyon walk into the area to seek help before he succumbed to the stab wounds.
The fight between Lee and Lyon broke out inside a nearby apartment located at the 700 block of Lenmore Avenue. Multiple people fled the apartment after the stabbing, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
A short time later, Rockville City patrol officers located Lee in the area and took him into custody. A show-up – an identification procedure in which a single suspect is presented to a witness or victim to identity the perpetrator – was done with a witness to the crime, who positively identified Lee, according to charging documents.
The State’s Attorney’s Office said the victim and the defendant do not have a confirmed address.
Contact information for Tatiana David, Lee’s attorney, was not readily available.
A sentencing hearing for Lee is scheduled for July 28.