A 50-year Maryland mother shooting sentence was handed down against Talecka Brown this week after she shot her then-13-year-old daughter in the back of the neck and then instructed the girl to lie to investigators in order to make the case ‘go away.’
Brown, whose age is reported as 33 by WTOP News and as 34 in court records cited by the original reporting, was sentenced in a Maryland courtroom for the shooting of her daughter, which took place on 23 September 2024 at their home in Seat Pleasant, an unincorporated community in Prince George’s County, directly east of Washington, D.C.
The Maryland Mother Shooting Sentence: Convictions and What the Jury Found
Brown had been convicted in 2025 of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree child abuse, first-degree assault, and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to WTOP News.
The shooting occurred during an argument. According to FOX 5 DC, citing the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, the daughter was shot once in the back of the neck as she moved away from the altercation and toward a staircase. She was transported to hospital in critical condition and required emergency treatment, including surgery and the use of a chest tube to assist with breathing.
Brown called 911 herself following the shooting. The snippet records that she initially told officers the girl had been shot by a homeless person. FOX 5 DC, citing prosecutors, reports that the cover story Brown gave investigators was that an intruder had broken into the house. Either way, the account was later contradicted by evidence gathered during the investigation.
Brown also instructed her daughter to give the same false account to investigators, a direction the prosecution characterised as an attempt to make the case ‘go away.’
Prosecutors and the Cover Story That Unravelled
There is a minor conflict in the reported timeline of the sentencing hearing itself. Court records cited in the original reporting place the sentencing on a Friday, while WUSA9 reports it took place on a Thursday afternoon. The 50-year term is consistent across all sources.
Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Tara Jackson issued a statement following the sentence. ‘Today’s sentence reflects the severity of this unimaginable act and the harm inflicted upon this child who deserved nothing but love, protection and care from her mother,’ Jackson said, according to WTOP News.
The case drew attention both for the nature of the offence (a parent shooting a child who was moving away from a confrontation) and for the attempt to obstruct the subsequent investigation. The daughter’s injuries were severe enough to require surgical intervention before she could be stabilised.
Prince George’s County, which sits in Maryland’s Washington suburbs, is served by the Prince George’s County government, whose State’s Attorney’s Office brought the prosecution. Cases of this nature in Maryland are tried before the Maryland courts system, which administers the circuit court jurisdiction in which Brown was sentenced.
Subject to any onward appeal, Brown will serve 50 years following her conviction on the four counts. The daughter, who was 13 at the time of the shooting, was offered no protection by the person legally obligated to provide it. Jackson’s office has not indicated whether any additional proceedings are anticipated.
