Men Sentenced To Jail For Fatal Stabbing At Silver Spring Hotel

SILVER SPRING, MD — Two Montgomery County men were sentenced to prison Tuesday for the fatal stabbing of a Prince George's County man in a drug deal gone bad at the Days Inn in Silver Spring.

Sulaiman Jalloh, 24, of Bowie was found stabbed to death outside the hotel on May 28, 2017. Prosecutors said Jalloh robbed drug dealers of their marijuana. In turn, he was killed.

Two suspects were sentenced Tuesday: James Polk Jackson, 24, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and Ruben Ortiz, 22, received 30 years with all but 24 suspended.

"This case was really about retaliation. It was about the law of the street," State’s Attorney John McCarthy said. "Sadly, I've mentioned this before... the public perception that the distribution is a nonviolent crime, but I'll tell you if you stand where I stand... the distribution of marijuana serves as sort of the baseline...of what ultimately becomes a homicide."

On May 28, police were called to the Days Inn at 8040 13th Street for a disturbance in the parking lot. First responders located Jalloh suffering life-threatening trauma to his body, police said. Jalloh was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

Investigation revealed that Jalloh was with a small group of friends when he was approached by Ortiz and Shanee Collette Cox at the Silver Spring Metro station, police said. Ortiz and Cox offered to sell Jalloh marijuana, and they agreed to meet in front of the Days Inn for the transaction.

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• Silver Spring Days Inn Homicide: 2 Suspects Arrested

The two groups met just after 11 p.m., but instead of purchasing marijuana from Ortiz and Cox, Jalloh's group robbed Ortiz of cash and his shoes, police said.

Later, Ortiz and a small group of subjects went to Jalloh's Days Inn room and demanded that the shoes and cash taken in the robbery be returned. Cash and shoes were returned to Ortiz and the group left, police said.

Just before 2:30 a.m., Jalloh left his room and walked to the parking lot. There he was assaulted by a group of subjects including Ortiz, Jackson and Cox. Jalloh was beaten, stabbed, and robbed, police said.

Prosecutors said Jackson inflicted the stab wounds that killed Jalloh. Ortiz and four or five men and Cox were also involved in the stabbing, prosecutors said. Ortiz was sentenced for striking Jalloh during the attack.

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Photo of Jackson, Ortiz via Montgomery Community Media