Kyle Noble, 30, of an unknown address, was sentenced Monday to 50 years in prison for fatally stabbing Efrain Arias, 31, in 2019, in an attack “fueled by drug-seeking behavior and a jealous rage,” the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office said in a release.
Arias was a friend of Noble’s ex-girlfriend and was with her at the time of the attack.
Circuit Court Judge John Maloney sentenced Noble to 60 years in prison, suspended all but 50 years, and five years of supervised probation upon release, the release said.
On Sept. 15, 2019, Noble arrived at the Extended Stay America hotel on Milestone Center Drive in Germantown, the State’s Attorney’s Office said.
His ex-girlfriend, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she and her friend Arias also drove into the hotel’s parking lot, according to court documents.
She said that Arias exited the car and Noble approached him, attempting to punch him in the face, and when her friend screamed and ran toward a nearby field, her ex-boyfriend began to chase him.
Noble fatally stabbed him and robbed him, the State’s Attorney’s Office said.
When Noble returned to the parking lot, his ex-girlfriend said she noticed blood all over him, court documents said.
Then, according to charging documents, he gave her a warning: “If you call the police, I’ll kill you.”
She said Noble drove off, and she left the scene shortly after, according to court documents.
After that, another witness found Arias “bleeding profusely.” Police arrived and found him with “sharp force injuries” to his head and face and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to charging documents.
A clear motive was alleged: “As stated by the prosecutors in court, the attack was fueled by drug-seeking behavior and a jealous rage, as the victim was a friend of the defendant’s ex-girlfriend,” the State’s Attorney Office said.
At the time of the murder, Noble was on probation for a stabbing in Frederick County in April 2017, and years earlier, he pleaded guilty to robbery in Montgomery County in March 2014, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
The State’s Attorney’s Office said that the case’s first trial in September 2022 ended in a hung jury. The case was retried, and the jury came to a verdict on June 9, according to court filings.
Noble was convicted of second-degree murder and armed robbery.
“This is a situation where it took a number of years and continued dedication on the part of our prosecution team and the Montgomery County Police Department to ensure justice was served,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
Noble’s attorney could not be immediately reached for comment on Tuesday morning.