Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Jeannie J. Hong sentenced Mandarin Jessup, 42, to five years without the possibility of parole for possession of a firearm with a prior felony conviction on March 28. Jessup was prohibited from possessing a firearm for a 2006 incident.
Jessup was accused of fatally shooting 49-year-old Sean Anthony Henson, Sr., an off-duty security officer and mutual friend, at a friend’s residence in August 2024. Jessup was in the bathroom and Henson had secured his weapon. When Jessup exited, Henson jokingly pointed his gun at Jessup, who then shot Henson in the head.
Judge Hong called the situation “an unfortunate set of circumstances.”
While Henson’s sister declined to deliver a victim impact statement, Jessup’s mother gave one.
“Both families have been impacted due to an unfortunate decision,” she told Judge Hong. She apologized to Henson’s family and spoke on behalf of Jessup’s five children, describing how they had already lost two loved ones prior to Jessup’s sentencing.
