One of the teenagers accused in a fatal stabbing at a Bethesda, Maryland, shopping center has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder.
Joshua Wright, 17, of Bethesda, pleaded guilty before a Montgomery County Circuit Court on Friday in the death of 33-year-old Lawrence Wilson Jr.
On Dec. 19, 2021, Montgomery County police found Wilson dead in a stairwell near the Shops of Wisconsin shopping mall. He had trauma to his body.
Police charged three teenagers — Wright, Antonio Lawrence and Blaise Uchemadu — with first-degree murder, armed robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery a few days later.
Citing new evidence, prosecutors dropped murder charges against Uchemadu in March.
Wright faces a maximum of 40 years. His sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 12.
Lawrence’s trial is set for February 2023.