A Maryland man who stabbed his mother to death during an argument over her car learned Friday he will spend 72 years behind bars – a sentence equal to the number of years she lived.
Reginald English, 53, was sentenced to life in prison with all but 72 years suspended for the brutal killing of his 72-year-old mother, Lorena Royster, who was found dead inside her Bladensburg home in April 2024. A handcuff was fastened to her wrist and she had been stabbed 47 times, prosecutors said.
English was convicted of murder in August 2025 after prosecutors argued that he “killed his mother over the use of a Toyota Camry” and said he continued arguing with family members about the car even after his arrest.
“The defendant called his sister and got into an argument over the title of the car,” the prosecutor said, according to WRC.
On April 3, 2024, police responded to Royster’s home for a welfare check, according to court documents obtained by WTTG. Royster had a stab wound to her neck and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Just 12 hours earlier, English, who was wearing a woman’s engagement ring, was caught by an officer after he jumped into Cox Creek, about 40 miles east of his mother’s home, where he had also been living, authorities said. English, who told police he was praying, was taken to a hospital for treatment and later charged with his mother’s murder.
After being found guilty this summer, prosecutors specifically asked the judge to impose a 72-year sentence to reflect Royster’s age at the time of her death, according to WRC.
“For me, 72 years is going to forever be etched in his brain,” Royster’s stepdaughter Audrey Lawrence said. “I don’t care where he goes until the day he leaves this earth and even when he’s in the ground, he’s probably going to remember 72.”
English declined to say anything in court. He remained emotionless as the sentence was handed down on Friday.
Family members said that while the sentence brought a sense of justice, it did little to ease their pain. Royster’s niece Tracie Quander told NBC4 Washington that “she was a pillar in our family.”
“She was a caregiver, someone who loved anyone that she met,” Quander said. “She would give you the shirt off of her back.”
“She supports everybody,” friend Shirley Battle added. “She loved and cared for everybody. And I couldn’t help but to support her. That’s our job; that’s what we do. We support one another. And I love her till the end.”
According to court records, English has appealed his conviction.
