Pr. George's man sentenced to 30 years for murder

A Forestville man who testified that he quarreled with his on-again, off-again girlfriend over money and struck her in self-defense was sentenced to 30 years in prison for killing her.

Circuit Court Judge Larnzell Martin imposed the sentence on Joseph N. Coleman, 45, last week. In December, a jury convicted Coleman of second-degree murder for the kililng to Donna M. Brown, 39.

Including a police interview that lasted more than 10 hours and various turns on the witness stand in pretrial hearings and at his trial in December, Coleman spent more than 14 hours explaining his actions surrounding Brown's death.

During his trial, Coleman rambled and did not directly respond to questions from prosecutors. He spoke over attorneys and Martin. Coleman's own defense attorneys twice objected to their client's statements.

According to trial testimony, on the evening of Oct. 4, 2008, Coleman fought with Brown over money. Coleman testified that Brown attacked him and he struck her in self-defense.

Coleman said he walked to the nearby home of the woman he considered his mom and spent the night there, and when he returned the following morning, he found Brown laying on the floor, unresponsive, and called 911.

Brown was the ex-wife of Warren Brown, a prominent defense attorney based in Baltimore.

-- Ruben Castaneda