Homicide Defendant Sentenced to 50 Years for Fatal Prison Stabbing in 2021

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A 31-year-old man found guilty of killing another inmate during his incarceration in 2021 was sentenced to 50 years for the death of Shane Burton–that on top of a 40 year sentence for his involvement in a deadly home invasion two years prior.

On Sept. 9, Khalil Madden appeared before Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong for sentencing after his trial in March when a jury found the defendant guilty of second-degree murder and possession of a deadly weapon while in confinement. Judge Hong sentenced Madden to 40 years for second-degree murder and a consecutive 10 years for possession of a deadly weapon while in confinement.

This sentence will run consecutively to his 40-year sentence for conspiracy to commit burglary and conspiracy to commit armed robbery for an incident on the 4800 block of Clifton Avenue on Nov. 5, 2019.

Madden and his co-defendant, Cristino Flores-Perez, were accused of fatally stabbing Burton to death inside his cell at the Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center (MRDCC) on the 500 block of East Madison Street on Aug. 27, 2021. Flores-Perez and Burton were cellmates, according to the prosecution.

Flores-Perez previously pleaded guilty for his involvement and is currently serving a 40-year sentence.

During Monday’s sentencing, the prosecutor reminded the judge that Burton was stabbed seven times and cut nine times in the attack. Since his incarceration at the Western Correctional Institution (WCI) in Cumberland, she continued, Madden has had five infractions, including possessing a six-inch sharpened piece of plexiglass.

Defense attorney Staci Pipkin asked Judge Hong to keep Madden’s sentence within the guidelines of 18 to 25 years.

“Mr. Madden did not instigate this,” Pipkin said in reference to the prison stabbing.

Judge Hong reviewed Madden’s criminal history, which included use of a deadly weapon with the intent to injure in 2012 and a second-degree assault charge in 2013. In regards to his latest crime at MRDCC, the judge described the incident as “so bloody and so violent.”

“You appear so calm and nice in front of me, but your history just speaks to violence,” Judge Hong said before imposing the sentence.