Columbia Teen Pleads Guilty in King's Contrivance Stabbing

A 19-year-old Columbia man pleaded guilty Monday to one count of first-degree assault and one count of armed robbery for his role in a , according to a Howard County State’s Attorney’s office press release.

Damian Lamar Jones, of the 7500 block of Summer Blossom Lane, pleaded guilty shortly before he was scheduled to stand trial for attempted first-degree murder, among other charges, of Clifton Epps the morning of Dec. 6, 2010.

Epps, at the time of the incident, was a 38-year-old who lived on the 7500 block of Rain Flower Way, a street near where all three suspects resided, police said at the time.

The stabbing is thought to have occurred in the parking lot of an apartment complex in the 7600 block of Woodpark Lane in King’s Contrivance—a short distance from the house where Epps lives—and that Epps ran home immediately after the incident, police said.

Epps was critically injured in the stabbing but survived. they believed Epps was attempting to purchase marijuana from Jones.

Howard County Circuit Court Judge Richard S. Judge Bernhardt set Jones’ sentencing hearing for Sept. 30 at 1:30 p.m. 

Two additional men arrested in connection with the robbery-stabbing, Malik Rasheem Davis and Marquis R. Gilbert, are scheduled to stand trial next month, according to the Howard County State's Attorney's office.