The man who killed and dismembered a well-known teacher in Greenbelt, Maryland, will now serve the rest of his life in prison.
Harold Landon III, 35, received a life sentence without parole on Friday for the murder of Mariame Toure Sylla on July 29, 2023. Landon was convicted of first-degree murder by a jury in June.
Sylla, 59, was a popular teacher at the Dora Kennedy French immersion school. She loved her job, and the school community admired her. It’s why, when she went missing while walking in her favorite Greenbelt Park, so many people hurried to help find her, and why it stung so much when it was revealed she’d been abducted and murdered.
“She was a good person. She cared about others. She was pious. Aisha Braveboy, Prince George’s County Executive, stated that she was a believer who loved her children and the children she taught.
Braveboy was the Maryland state’s attorney when Sylla’s mutilated body was discovered some days later on the 7300 block of Old Alexandria Ferry Road in Clinton. Officials said it took weeks to positively identify them as Sylla’s, and some of her remains have yet to be located.
Landon was arrested and accused of murder. He and Sylla lived in the same neighborhood, but by 2023, police said they were strangers.
Braveboy also prosecuted the case and received a conviction in June. Prosecutors felt Landon murdered the elementary school teacher to exorcise his personal problems, but he has never admitted anything.
“I don’t think we’ll ever know his true motive. What we do know is that he did it, that he was clear-minded that he did it, and he was very calculating in trying to cover up what he had done,” said Braveboy.
At Landon’s sentencing on Friday, Judge Carol Cordere concurred with her view. She sentenced Landon to life without the prospect of parole.
Tara Jackson, the current State’s Attorney, stated that Landon deserves no less. “While today’s sentence cannot return Ms. Sylla to us, it does demonstrate her value to this community.” “To Prince George’s County.”
Mariame Sylla’s sister Fatima and son Mohamad appeared in court via video conference. Her sister, speaking from the Ivory Coast in Africa, advocated for the harshest sentence. Her son stated that he wishes the death penalty were available.
Given the chance to speak, Landon shrugged his shoulders, whispered to his counsel, and remained silent. He made no apologies. There’s no explanation. He did not utter a single word of apology.