18-year-old found not guilty of murder in shooting of teenager outside Prince George's County High School

An 18-year-old from Prince George's County, Maryland, was acquitted of murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of a teenager outside a high school last year – but he was convicted of assault and weapons offenses.

The jury's verdict was reached on Friday after a week-long trial in Prince George's County District Court.

Abdurahman Diaby was acquitted of the most serious charge – first-degree murder – in the death of 16-year-old Jayda Medrano-Moore. However, the jury found him guilty of first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime.

Prince George's County District Attorney Aisha Braveboy said Diaby faces up to 55 years in prison on the lesser charges when he is sentenced later this year.

“We are confident he will not be sitting on the streets for decades and look forward to making our arguments at sentencing,” Braveboy told reporters during a press conference outside the courthouse after the verdict was announced on Friday.

Diaby, who was 17 at the time of the shooting, was tried as an adult.

Authorities said Medrano-Moore was walking near the high school shortly after school let out on Sept. 11, 2023, when a fight broke out due to a “petty dispute” between students at DuVal High School and another school.

During the altercation, police said, Diaby pulled out a gun and shot Medrano-Moore when she tried to intervene to protect her brother.

Three other teenagers were arrested earlier this year and charged with Medrano-Moore's murder.

“Jayda was in no way the cause of what happened,” Braveboy said. “She was there. She was trying to protect her brother. … So Jayda was nothing short of a hero that day, and we will continue to seek justice for her.”

Braveboy told reporters she was confident her office had a strong case against Diaby and said the Medrano-Moore family was disappointed with the verdict.

“This was a conspiracy. These young people brought guns into a school, followed other kids home and pulled out these guns, and one person is dead,” Braveboy said, later adding, “It wasn't a close call.”

Braveboy said she had the opportunity to speak to the jury after the split decision.

“I think this was a compromise ruling that was not necessarily based on facts, but rather on their impressions of what young people are like today,” she said.

She later added: “In their deliberations, jurors raise issues that sometimes we would not have thought they would raise, and we cannot predict what they will find.”

The three other teenagers charged in Medrano-Moore's murder are scheduled to go on trial later this year or early next year.

WTOP's John Domen and Nick Iannelli contributed to this report.

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