Upper Marlboro Man Pleads Guilty to Stabbing His Lover's Friend

GREENBELT, MD — An Upper Marlboro man has pleaded guilty and will serve at least eight years in prison after authorities say he stabbed another man in a fit of jealousy at a construction site.

Joseph Axzavis Stewart, Sr., 58, of Upper Marlboro pleaded guilty on Feb. 14 to charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The plea agreement states that on July 31, 2016, at around 9 p.m., Stewart stabbed an individual in the passenger seat of a friend's truck at a construction site near the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Stewart worked for the same construction company and previously had a brief romantic relationship with the individual's friend.

"After other employees from the construction company intervened, Stewart fled the scene in a gray truck," the statement reads. "The victim was transported to hospital, suffering from stab wounds to the arm and back. As a result of the stabbing, the victim underwent several surgeries, and lost feeling in the right arm. Law enforcement executed a search warrant and recovered the knife Stewart used to stab the victim from Stewart’s gray truck."

The plea agreement would require Stewart to serve between eight and 12 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for July 5.

"As part of his plea agreement, Stewart will be required to pay restitution in the full amount of the loss of the victim," the statement adds.

Image via Flickr user Chris Potter