Crime & Safety

Man Pleads Guilty to Home Invasion Murder

Reynard Prather, of Oxon Hill, Md., pleaded guilty this week to his role in a 2010 Centreville murder.

A Maryland man has pleaded guilty to during a home invasion in Centreville in 2010. 

On Wednesday, Reynard Lazaro Prather, of Oxon Hill, pleaded guilty in federal court on the charge of murder resulting from the use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Hobbs Act, which prohibits robbery that affects interstate commerce. 

In a statement of fact filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Prather said that he was not the one who fired the shot that killed Cardona, but admitted to being involved in the incident. 

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Prather said in the court document that he drove with a male accomplice from Prince George's County, Md., to Virginia on May 17, 2010. During the drive, the male accomplice—named only as "John Doe #1" in court documents—handed Prather a duffel bag with semiautomatic, loaded pistol inside. In Centreville, the two met up with another unnamed man, who drove Prather and his accomplice to a home on Compton Road in Centreville. 

Their intent was to rob the family who lived on Compton Road; the father owned several check-cashing stores in Northern Virginia. Prather's share was supposed to be $50,000, he said in the court document. 

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When they saw the owner of the home leave and leave the garage door open, Prather and "John Doe #1" went inside, planning to rob the man when he returned. It was then that Jose Cardona, who worked as a handyman at the house, and the owner's son discovered them hiding inside. Cardona tried to defend the home, and fought with "John Doe #1." Prather then fought with the owner's son, heard a shot and saw Cardona lying dead on the driveway, he said. 

Cardona, 39, a resident of Manassas Park, was a native of Guatemala. He had worked for the Centreville family for a year and a half, who in media reports described him as loyal and dedicated. He had planned to return to Guatemala to help take care of his mother, who was sick. 

for his role in the crime. As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors dropped two lesser charges against Prather: using a firearm in a crime of violence and possession of ammunition by a prohibited person. 

Prather faces life in prison and further financial penalties. He also agreed to pay restitution for the full amount of the victims' losses, according to court documents. Sentencing is scheduled for June 1, 2012.


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