The former US intelligence director’s daughter has been found guilty of stabbing a Maryland man to death after an Airbnb dispute.
A Montgomery County jury on Tuesday convicted 29-year-old Sophia Negroponte of second-degree murder in the February 2020 death of Yousuf Rasmussen, news outlets reported.
Negroponte faces up to 40 years in prison if sentenced on March 31.
She is the daughter of John Negroponte, who spent a long career as a diplomat in Washington before being appointed the first-ever Director of United States National Intelligence in 2005.
A Montgomery County jury Tuesday convicted Sophia Negroponte (pictured, left), 29, of the February 2020 second-degree murder of Yousuf Rasmussen (pictured, right), news outlets reported
Sophia Negroponte and Rasmussen attended the same high school in Washington and had been drinking with another person at an Airbnb in Maryland the night Rasmussen was killed, Montgomery County Prosecutor John McCarthy said.
They argued twice that night and Rasmussen left. When Rasmussen returned to get his cell phone, “Negroponte stabbed him multiple times, one of which was a fatal blow that severed his carotid artery,” McCarthy said.
Defense attorney David Moyse had asked the jury to consider that Sophia Negroponte was so drunk that night that she could not formulate a specific intention.
“Alcohol pervaded this case from the start; it pervades her life,” he said, adding, “and it’s absolutely central to what happened there that night. And that’s one of the main reasons this isn’t murder at all.”
The jury found Negroponte not guilty of the most serious charge she faced, first-degree first-degree first degree murder, according to the Post.
But they convicted her of second-degree murder, noting that she intended to inflict “so grievous bodily harm” on Rasmussen “that death would be the likely result.”
Montgomery District Court Judge Terrence J. McGann ordered their bond broken, noting that Rasmussen “was taken from this earth in such a dreadful manner at a very young age with his whole life before him.”
Sophia Negroponte and Rasmussen attended the same high school in Washington and had been drinking with another person on the night Rasmussen was killed, Montgomery County Prosecutor John McCarthy said
Police say Sophia Negroponte stabbed Rasmussen to death after an argument in February 2020
Sophia Negroponte is the adopted daughter of John Negroponte, who spent a long career as a diplomat in Washington before being appointed the first-ever Director of the United States National Intelligence Agency in 2005. He can be seen at a conference in Colombia in 2019
“Yousuf was a kind and gentle soul, a loving person who brought great joy to our family and his many friends throughout his 24 years of life,” Rasmussen’s family said in a statement. “We will carry him with us forever.”
Following the verdict, John Negroponte, 83, said his family will discuss a possible appeal with their attorneys.
“Neither the prosecutors, nor perhaps the jury, have given sufficient consideration to the complexity and extenuating circumstances of the case – Sophia’s past trauma and other factors that have led to a very troubled existence. She had a severe alcohol use disorder,” said John Negroponte.
President George W. Bush appointed John Negroponte as the country’s first director of intelligence in 2005. He later served as deputy foreign minister. He was also previously Ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines, the United Nations and Iraq.
He previously served under Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan as ambassador to countries such as Honduras, Mexico and the Philippines.
Negroponte and his wife Diana Negroponte adopted five girls during their time in Honduras – Sophia, George, John, Alexandra and Marina.
President Bush (left) watches as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (right) inaugurates Assistant Secretary of State John Negroponte (second from left) at the US State Department in Washington in 2007
After the verdict, John Negroponte said his family would discuss a possible appeal with their attorneys