The verdict came months after Sharita Cristwell was found shot in a Bladensburg apartment.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — Harry Lindsey was convicted Friday of killing Sharita Cristwell, weeks after he had been accused of assaulting and choking her and while he was under court-ordered home detention.
The Prince George’s County jury found Lindsey guilty of first-degree murder and related firearm and escape charges. Cristwell, 29, was shot July 5, 2025, inside an apartment on Stretford Way. Lindsey, 33, was arrested the next day in Capitol Heights after investigators worked to locate him.
Prosecutors presented the killing as the final act in a long and violent relationship. Lindsey and Cristwell had been together for 11 years and shared two daughters. The case drew attention because Lindsey had been arrested June 16 after an alleged attack on Cristwell, then released to home detention before the shooting.
Lead prosecutor Jessica Garth said the earlier arrest helped explain what happened before Cristwell died. “The seed was planted for this on June 16 of 2025,” Garth said. She said the electronic monitor Lindsey was ordered to wear helped prosecutors show when he left and how he tried to keep police from tracking him.
Lindsey was convicted of two escape counts connected to cutting off the ankle monitor at the time of the homicide. He was also convicted of using a firearm in a crime of violence and illegal possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said the jury heard enough evidence to find the killing was intentional and planned.
Family members said Cristwell had moved forward from the relationship before she was killed. They told reporters after Lindsey’s arrest that he was upset she had begun dating someone new. Police said he had sent Cristwell video of her car outside the other man’s home before the June assault.
After the verdict, Cristwell’s mother, Gereese McCotter, said the jury’s decision mattered but could not restore what was taken. “This don’t take away the pain that I endure,” McCotter said. She said her daughter should still have a life and a future.
State’s Attorney Tara Jackson said the case reflected the danger in domestic violence cases and praised the prosecution team after the verdict. The trial began Monday and ended Friday. Lindsey remains convicted on all counts and is set to return to court July 24 for sentencing.
Author note: Last updated April 27, 2026.