Former US Intel Director’s Daughter Gets 35 Years For Murder

ROCKVILLE, Md. (AP) — The girl of erstwhile U.S. quality manager John Negroponte was sentenced Friday to 35 years successful situation successful the fatal stabbing of a person aft a drunken statement astatine a Maryland home, prosecutors announced.

Sophia Negroponte, 30, of Washington, D.C., was convicted successful January of second-degree execution successful the 2020 decease of 24-year-old Yousuf Rasmussen. Guidelines called for a condemnation of 15 to 25 years, but Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Terrence McGann went beyond those guidelines, citing a request for assemblage extortion and rehabilitation, and calling her a “struggling, anger-filled alcoholic,” quality outlets reported.

“That rage drove Ms. Negroponte to stab her person successful the neck,” McGann said.

“While thing tin easiness the symptom caused by this senseless nonaccomplishment of life, we convey Judge McGann for an due situation condemnation successful this case,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said successful a statement.

Nearly a twelve people, including Rasmussen’s mother, Dr. Zeba Rasmussen, gave unfortunate interaction statements astatine Friday’s hearing. She remembered her lad arsenic charismatic with a “huge caring bosom for everybody.” His father, Steve Rasmussen, called his lad a gift, saying household and friends volition ever wonderment what they mislaid with Rasmussen’s killing.

All the benignant things said astir Rasmussen were true, Sophia Negroponte said astatine the hearing.

“He was a precise beauteous and loving and caring person. … I americium genuinely sorry,” she said.

Sophia Negroponte was 1 of 5 abandoned oregon orphaned Honduran children that John Negroponte and his woman adopted aft helium was appointed arsenic U.S. ambassador to the Central American state successful the 1980s, according to The Washington Post.

WASHINGTON - FEBRUARY 27: U.S. President George W. Bush (R) shakes hands with John Negroponte (R) earlier helium takes his oath arsenic Deputy Secretary of State arsenic Negroponte's woman Diana looks on, during his oath of bureau ceremonial astatine the State Department February 27, 2007 successful Washington, DC. Negroponte, the erstwhile manager of nationalist intelligence, volition enactment nether Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. (Photo by Jay Clendenin-Pool/Getty Images)

Pool via Getty Images

Rasmussen and Sophia Negroponte attended the aforesaid Washington precocious schoolhouse and had been drinking, on with different person, connected the nighttime Rasmussen was killed, McCarthy said. They argued doubly that nighttime and Rasmussen left. When Rasmussen returned to get his cellphone, Negroponte “stabbed him aggregate times, 1 being a decease stroke that severed his jugular,” McCarthy said.

At trial, defence lawyer David Moyse urged jurors to see that Sophia Negroponte was excessively intoxicated to signifier circumstantial intent.

“Alcohol pervades this lawsuit from the start; it pervades her life,” helium said, adding, “and it is perfectly astatine the bosom of what happened determination that night. And it’s 1 of the large reasons that this is perfectly not a murder.”

Former President George W. Bush appointed John Negroponte arsenic the nation’s archetypal quality manager successful 2005. He aboriginal served arsenic lawman caput of state. He besides served arsenic ambassador to Mexico, the Philippines, the United Nations and Iraq.

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