A Silver Spring man was found guilty Wednesday of attempting to murder his landlord in 2020, according to authorities.
Geofrey Gaitan, 31, faces up to 30 years in prison during his sentencing, which is scheduled for July 25, according to a release from the Montgomery County State’s Attorney office.
Gaitan’s conviction by a Montgomery County Circuit Court jury marked the third trial for the case. Juries in two previous trials could not reach a verdict, according to the release.
“This was an unprovoked attack on an innocent man and the defendant will now be held accountable,” Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in the release.
According to charging documents, Gaitan “severely beat” his 63-year-old landlord on April 19, 2020 during a dispute over rent in a home on the 9700 block of Hastings Drive in Silver Spring. The victim suffered multiple skull fractures as well as a permanent, traumatic brain injury.
A man who identified himself as a resident of the house told police he saw Gaitan hit the victim several times with two solid wood table legs, and then stomp on the victim’s head after he fell to the ground, according to charging documents. County police found the landlord lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
The landlord was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, the documents said.