CHARLES COUNTY, Md. — A Waldorf man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the brutal murder of his father.
Justin Michael Lachenmayer, 39, entered a guilty plea to the charges of manslaughter and second-degree assault on March 10.
It all began on September 8, 2023, deputies with the Charles County Sheriff's Office responded to a home for reports of a domestic assault.
They arrived and found 71-year-old John Carl Lachenmayer on the floor struggling to breathe.
John told the deputies that Justin punched him while he was sitting on the couch, pushed him to the ground, and then kicked his stomach.
Medical personnel at the scene found multiple bruises on his body.
John was taken to a local hospital, where later succumbed to his injuries.
While at the scene, Justin admitted to the altercation with his father.
The assault happened during an argument between Justin and his father about using his father's credit card.
Justin called 911 to report that his father was having trouble breathing.
It was later found that John suffered a lacerated spleen and internal bleeding from the assault.
“This is how the [victim] ends his golden years, pushed to the floor, punched, and kicked in his stomach. It’s just tragic; just a sad situation," said Assistant State's Attorney John Stackhouse.
“This case is very unique. This doesn’t make any sense to me. The sad thing about being betrayed is it never comes from your enemies.” He furthered, “In his last days and months, he’s looking out for his son, who it appears, at least for a long time, hasn’t looked out for him – and that’s really, really sad. In the end, he was betrayed. It’s truly a tragic way to go at the hands of someone who should be looking out for you,” said Judge H. James West before sentencing Justin Lachenmayer.
Following his release, Justin Lachenmayer will be on five years supervised probation.
