UPDATE 3/1/2026: State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling is set to testify in support of House Bill 0873 — known as “Jamari’s Law” — before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 4 at 1 p.m.
The proposed legislation would double the maximum penalty for vehicular manslaughter in Maryland, increasing it from 10 years to 20 years in prison. For a second or subsequent conviction, the maximum penalty would rise from 15 years to 30 years.
The bill is named for Jamari Duckett, an 18-year-old from St. Mary’s County who was killed by an intoxicated driver. Supporters say the measure is intended to strengthen accountability in fatal impaired-driving cases and serve as a deterrent.
Community members who wish to support the bill can submit written testimony by registering as a witness for House Bill 0873 on the Maryland General Assembly website. Online registration will be open Monday, March 2, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at:
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/
To assist residents with the process, Sterling, Jamari’s father John Duckett, and members of the State’s Attorney’s Office will be available at the Lexington Park branch of the St. Mary’s County Library from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 2 to help community members register their support.
An instructional video explaining how to register is also available below
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is supporting the effort, along with bill sponsors Delegates Gary Simmons, Todd Morgan, and Mary Lehman.UPDATE 2/16/2025: St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling is scheduled to testify in strong support of Jamari’s Law before the House Judiciary Committee.
The bill is named in honor of Jamari Duckett, who was tragically and senselessly killed by an intoxicated driver. If passed, Jamari’s Law would increase the maximum penalty for vehicular manslaughter from 10 to 20 years, and 15 to 30 years for any subsequent conviction.
Jamari was just 18 years old when he was killed by the impaired and reckless driver Matthew Mark Mazza. Mazza was travelling 76 to 91 mph (in a posted 40 mph zone) on Willows Road seconds before the crash.
John Duckett stated his son was the fourth member of his family to die in a DUI crash since 1968. He hopes Jamari is the last. With this bill, John said “It won’t just help my family, it’ll help the next family. It’ll make sure no one would ever have to feel the pain we’ve been going through.”
How you can help and how we ask our community to support this bill : Community members are encouraged to provide testimony in-person, via Zoom, or by written submission by registering on the Maryland General Assembly website as a witness for House Bill 977 (Jamari’s Law).
We at SMNEWSNET ask for just five minutes of your time tomorrow to support this bill. Stronger penalties are needed for these reckless and irresponsible actions that too often result in the tragic loss of loved ones and community members.
Registration On-Line: can be done by clicking here.
Instructional Video to Help You Register can be watched below or by clicking here (redirect to YouTube)
A special thank you to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), Senator Jack Bailey for sponsoring the Senate Bill, and Delegate Brian Crosby who sponsored the House Bill versions of Jamari’s Law.
2/25/2025: On January 24, 2024, St. Mary’s County State’s Attorney Jaymi Sterling testified before the Maryland Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee in strong support of Senate Bill 26, Criminal Law – Manslaughter by Vehicle or Vessel – Increased Penalties (Jamari’s Law).
The bill proposes to increase the maximum penalty of manslaughter by vehicle or vessel from ten to twenty years, and for any subsequent conviction, from fifteen to thirty years.
The legislation is named in honor of Jamari Duckett of Great Mills, Maryland. In 2022, Jamari was an 18-year-old high school graduate, registered for college and in pursuit of a career in mechanical engineering, when he was tragically and senselessly killed by an intoxicated driver whose braking speed was 91 miles per hour in a 40 mile per hour zone.
The driver was prosecuted in St. Mary’s County and sentenced to the maximum penalty of ten years in prison. However, since vehicular manslaughter is considered a nonviolent crime in Maryland, the driver will be eligible for parole after serving only two and a half years of his ten-year prison sentence.
“I’m a prosecutor … a justice seeker. Part of seeking justice is to come before you [the legislature] when there’s a problem, or there’s an absolute failure in our system,” said State’s Attorney Sterling at the hearing. “There’s nothing else that I can do in my capacity, or any other State’s Attorneys can do. We need your help … Please consider raising the penalties so that we have more to work with, so that we can rehabilitate, so that we can provide deterrence, but so there is also punishment, so that these lives are worth more than [the ten-year criminal penalty which is equivalent to passing] a bad check.”
Sterling testified alongside Jamari’s parents, Shownda Greenwell and John Duckett, several surviving family members of multiple victims of vehicular homicide, and prosecutors from around the State. Each person who provided testimony before the Senate echoed the pleas of the person who testified before them, all in unified support of Jamari’s Law.
On Wednesday, February 7, 2024, at 1:00 p.m., Jamari’s Law will be heard before the House Judiciary Committee. State’s Attorney Sterling is scheduled to testify, again, in strong support of House Bill 264, sponsored by Delegate Brian Crosby, the cross-file of Senator Jack Bailey’s Senate Bill 26.
Community members are encouraged to provide testimony in-person, via Zoom, or by written submission by registering on the Maryland General Assembly website as a witness for House Bill 264 no later than Monday, February 5, 2024, by 6:00 p.m.
State’s Attorney Sterling is grateful to Senator Bailey and Delegate Crosby for their support and partnership on this crucial initiative, and to Jamari’s parents, Shownda Greenwell and John Duckett, who have bravely contributed to spearheading change for all in the name of justice for their son.
