[Archived] Defendant Pleads Guilty to First Degree Murder

For Immediate Release: September 6, 2019

On September 5, 2019, in the Alexandria Circuit Court, William Layton, a 32-year-old resident of Fort Washington, Maryland, pleaded guilty to a three-count felony indictment alleging Murder in the First Degree, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of Murder and Being a Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm in connection with the death of Diamond C. Moore, a 20-year-old Alexandria resident.

The investigation established that on the morning of December 7, 2018, Layton shot the victim at the intersection of Holmes Run Parkway at North Ripley Street in the Holmes Run Valley neighborhood of the City. Layton had accompanied a relative to the scene in order to confront the victim about an ongoing dispute. Witnesses described hearing a heated verbal argument just before the gunshot. Witnesses described that when the victim retreated from the argument, Layton moved toward her and engaged words with her before shooting. An autopsy established that Layton was within 24-to-36 inches of the victim when he fired, hitting her in the upper body. Layton then fled the scene. The victim, who was unarmed at the time of the offense, soon succumbed to her injuries.

The sentencing hearing in the case will be held on November 22, 2019. The maximum penalty for Murder in the First Degree is life in the penitentiary and a fine of not more than $100,000. The maximum penalty for Use of a Firearm in the Commission of Murder is three years in prison. The maximum penalty for Being a Convicted Felon in Possession of a Firearm is five-years in prison. The aggregate potential sentence is therefore life in prison, plus 8 years to serve. Virginia abolished parole in 1995.

The defendant is incarcerated in the Alexandria Adult Detention Center awaiting sentencing.