The man accused of killing a Kentucky teacher on the campus of Catholic University in July 2023 pleaded guilty to manslaughter Friday.
Jaime Macedo admitted that the shooting of Maxwell Emerson during a robbery was not in self-defense and was not a mistake.
Macedo’s murder trial in May ended in a mistrial after jurors repeatedly told the judge they could not reach a unanimous verdict.
On the morning of July 5, 2023, prosecutors say Macedo attempted to rob Emerson outside the entrance to the Brookland Metro station by flashing a gun and then, for the next 30 minutes or so, had Emerson under his control and pressured him for money.
At one point, surveillance video even showed Emerson walking next to Macedo. his hands in the air.
It ended tragically in a park on the Catholic University campus when Emerson tackled Macedo and was shot.
The victim’s father, Steve Emerson, watched Friday’s hearing virtually, as Macedo admitted what prosecutors had alleged at trial was all true.
“We have to admit it was a very bittersweet moment. Sweet in the fact that, after three years, we heard him say ‘I’m guilty for the death of your son.’ But also bitter in the same vein, that it came in a plea deal, that it wasn’t what we thought it was going to be,” he said.
Macedo took the stand in his own defense during the trial earlier this year and claimed it wasn’t a robbery and that Maxwell Emerson was actually trying to help him.
“To us, going in, you know, we thought this was going to be a slam dunk, an open-and-shut case,” Steve Emerson said.
Testimony revealed Maxwell Emerson did send $300 to Macedo via a cash app before sending an urgent message to his mother that he was being robbed and needed help.
In court Friday, Judge Neal Kravitz asked Macedo several questions about what happened that morning.
“You knew that Mr. Emerson had become increasingly afraid of you? Is that true?” Kravitz asked.
“Yes,” Macedo said.
“You knew that you were creating an extremely unsafe situation? Is that true?” Kravitz asked.
“Yes,” Macedo said.
“You were not acting in self-defense and that this was not an accident or a mistake. You agree with those statements?” Kravitz asked.
“Yes,” Macedo said.
Steve Emerson said: “Max was just a soft, kind human being, and I think it was very important that when Judge Kravitz said, ‘So you knew he was scared,’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, and he was like, ‘And you knew he was becoming more afraid as this progressed,’ ‘Yes,’ so in that vein, it goes to the point where pretty much everything that you said in the trial is not what you are saying now.”
According to the plea deal, Macedo could receive 12 to 15 years in prison. Max Emerson’s father says when they attend Macedo’s sentencing on Jan. 15, they will ask for the maximum sentence.
