‘I Dislike Him Real Bad,‘ Says Murder Victim’s Mother in Sentencing Gang Defendant

By Racquel Bazos [former] - September 19, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A 28-year-old northwest Baltimore resident pleaded guilty to a 2020 murder and other acts of gang violence after two days of jury selection on Sept. 19 for an anticipated three-week trial. 

Donye Thompson faced 50 charges for various violent crimes, handgun violations and carjacking, stemming from a 2021 indictment against him and multiple co-defendants in the ‘39 Babies’ gang.

In Baltimore City Circuit Court Thursday, Thompson agreed to plead guilty for a total of 25 years in jail. For the murder of 22-year-old Deonte Henderson, he received life suspending all but 25 years. For the charges of participating in a criminal gang and armed carjacking, Thompson will serve concurrent maximum penalties of 15 years each. Lastly, for using a handgun to commit a crime, Thompson agreed to serve 20 years, the first five years without the possibility of parole, also concurrent. 

In addition to the time provided in the plea agreement, Thompson will be required to serve five years of supervised probation upon release and have no contact with any of his other co-defendants identified in the indictment against the gang. 

Per the statement of facts read by one of the three assistant attorneys general prosecuting Thompson, Baltimore Police Department investigators found firearms evidence at the scene of Henderson’s death in February 2020 and linked those weapons to several other violent crimes and carjackings throughout the North and Northeast police districts. 

Some nine months of text message evidence supported the prosecution’s case. The co-defendants identified themselves as members of the ‘39 Babies’ gang, coordinated and carried out criminal acts together in concert. 

Specifically for the charges in Thompson’s case, the prosecution stated he stole a car at gunpoint in January 2020 with another member of the organization in the Hamilton Hills neighborhood of northeast Baltimore.

The next month, Thompson and other ‘39 Babies’ chased down and shot Henderson and another victim. The prosecution claimed that as Henderson lay in a front yard on the 600 block of Wyanoke Avenue, Thompson stood over him and shot him one last time to kill him. 

Henderson’s mother told Judge Barry G. Williams that despite Thompson pleading guilty to killing her son who was also her granddaughter’s father, “I have no hate in my heart, but I dislike him real bad.”

Thompson read from a written statement to the judge, saying he was a father as well and was taking this plea for his family’s sake, not due to guilt. He explained that he wanted to improve himself and be a better man and role model for his two sons, now aged seven and four- years -old. 

“I want everyone in here to know I’m not a bad person,” he said.

Judge Williams sentenced Thompson as agreed upon in the plea offer. The prosecution dropped all the remaining charges.

Thompson was represented by James Sweeting III.