One of two suspects pleaded guilty Wednesday to the beating death of a retired New York Times reporter who died after D.C. emergency crews thought the journalist was drunk rather than a crime victim.
Michael Hamlin, 24, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. He faces 60 years in prison.
Hamlin admitted that he and his cousin Percey Jordan Jr. drove to northwest Washington to commit robbery, prosecutor Amanda Haines said. The two approached journalist David Rosenbaum, 63, near his Gramercy Street NW home. Hamlin told authorities that Jordan struck Rosenbaum in the back of the head with a lead pipe and Hamlin took his wallet. The cousins drove to Silver Spring, where they robbed a woman, Haines said. They then drove to the southeast part of the city where they used the stolen credit cards at stores, Haines said.
After police released video of Hamlin to the media the next day, he went to the police asking “why his face was on TV,” according to documents. Detectives said Hamlin at first denied being at the scene of the crime.
Hamlin’s attorney, Steven Kupferberg, said his client is expected to testify in Jordan’s trial next month.
Marcus Rosenbaum, David’s brother, standing with the family and police detectives outside the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, said he felt no emotions during the guilty plea.
“Michael Hamlin will spend a long time in prison, and we hope he thinks about what he did as much as we think about my brother,” said Marcus Rosenbaum, speaking for his family. “He did a horrible thing, and he’s taken responsibility for it.”
Marcus Rosenbaum said he hopes that the District’s fire and police departments take responsibility for their role and takes action to improve its emergency medical services.
A D.C. inspector general investigation in June found multiple failures in the city’s response, including that the emergency crew didn’t understand basic patient care procedures and failed to assess and treat Rosenbaum correctly. Rosenbaum was left at a hospital waiting area instead of an emergency room.
Rosenbaum died two days later.
