Frederick man gets 10 years for fatally stabbing mother

The Frederick County Courthouse on West Patrick Street

A Frederick man pleaded guilty Thursday in connection to the LSD-influenced fatal stabbing of his mother in 2020, according to a prosecutor.

David Frederick Miner IV, 21, through a plea agreement, was sentenced to 30 years with all but 10 years suspended for involuntary manslaughter, Deputy State’s Attorney Kirsten Brown said.

He also pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, for which he was sentenced to 10 years apiece, with the sentences fully suspended.

Miner’s defense attorney, Andrew Jezic, could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.

The Frederick Police Department responded to the 100 block of Deerfield Place on April 19, 2020, after Miner stabbed his mother, Samantha Annette Miner, 45, with a kitchen knife, according to charging documents.

Miner told police he took LSD at about 2 p.m., went for a ride with two of his sisters and returned home, still “tripping,” charging documents said.

He felt a sudden urge to kill his dog and got a knife from the kitchen. Miner’s mother tried to stop him and he stabbed her in the neck, charging documents read.

Miner’s father heard his wife yelling, came inside and called 911. First responders attempted life-saving measures, but Samantha Miner died at the scene.

Miner reportedly admitted to killing his mother. He resisted arrest and fought with officers as they took him into custody, according to charging documents.

Miner was originally charged with counts including first- and second-degree murder, but the prosecution amended the charges after evidence of Miner’s intoxication came to light through the course of the investigation, Brown said.

The state’s attorney’s office has been in contact with Miner’s father since the killing. Brown said Miner’s father and three sisters all spoke in court Thursday. She said they love Miner and forgive him.

“All of them maintain that it was an accident,” Brown said of Miner’s family.

Miner had no prior criminal offenses before the stabbing, according to Brown.

The case was straightforward factually, but complicated legally, Brown said, due to the defendant’s relationship to the victim and the intoxication factor.

The state extended the plea offer to Miner, which the defense accepted. Circuit Court Judge Theresa M. Adams issued the sentence, which cannot be modified without the state’s consent, Brown said.

Upon his release, Miner will be on supervised probation for five years. He gets credit for time served since his arrest on April 19, 2020.

“They [the family members] were very supportive of this decision,” Brown said.

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