Man Charged In Shooting Death Of Roommate Over TV Remote: Prince George's Police

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — A 38-year-old Springdale man has been charged in connection to the fatal shooting of his roommate, 27-year-old Domonique Scott Hayes.

On Jan. 10 around 12:30 p.m., Prince George's police officers were called to a home in the 2800 block of Berrywood Lane in Springdale for a report of a shooting. Officers found Hayes in the home with gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

The preliminary investigation indicated that Richard Bennaugh shot Hayes during an argument. Charging documents show the argument was related to the home’s T.V. remote control.

According to charging documents shared by Fox5DC, Bennaugh called 911 just after 12:30 p.m. Wednesday and told operators he shot his roommate after an altercation between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. that day. He told emergency dispatches that "his roommate had come at him with knives and that he shot him," reports Fox5DC.

Bennaugh said he went to the second floor to sleep on the living room sofa around 2 a.m. and woke up just after 5:30 a.m. to the sound of Hayes in the kitchen "making a lot of noise." Hayes reportedly yelled and asked where the remote was. Bennaugh told police he ignored him and heard him walk behind the living room sofa, asking several times where the remote was.

Bennaugh said he removed the blanket on top of his head to find Hayes with two large knives, which prompted him to grab a handgun and point it at his roommate. Hayes initially backed up but then told Bennaugh he wouldn’t shoot him, according to the charging documents shared by Fox5DC.

"There’s only one way to find out," Bennaugh allegedly replied, while still pointing the handgun at him.

When Hayes approached him, Bennaugh said that’s when he began shooting. Hayes ran upstairs to his room on the third floor, according to the suspect’s statement given to police. Bennaugh said he saw the bullet holes in the walls but did not see any blood, so he didn’t think he actually shot his roommate and went back to sleep. He woke up a few hours later, drove to a friend's home in Lanham, bought marijuana at a dispensary and returned home to smoke it. He gathered up the spent cartridge casings, flushed them down the toilet, then swept up the dust left by the gunshot holes in the walls.

After consulting with the Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office, Bennaugh has been charged with manslaughter and related charges. Anyone with information about this case who would like to speak to a detective can call 301-516-2512.