UPPER MARLBORO, Md. — The accused killer of beloved Prince George's County French immersion teacher Mariam Sylla has repeatedly attacked women, according to prosecutors who pleaded with a judge to keep Harold Landon III in jail pending his trial.
"Mr. Landon has a history of abusing women," said Prince George's County State's Attorney Aisha Braveboy. "In 2019, he had a previous conviction for assaulting a woman in North Carolina. And in that case, there were allegations of strangulation."
Landon was arrested three days after Sylla's disappearance on July 29 after allegedly threatening his ex-girlfriend and then violating a restraining order by returning to her residence the same day to attack her with a knife.
He was ordered held without bail in the domestic violence case.
At the time of his arrest, police had no idea Landon would become a suspect in Sylla's murder.
Investigators have not determined a motive for the murder and dismemberment of Sylla. Police say it appears she and Landon were strangers.
Braveboy said she believes Landon carefully planned and calculated Sylla's murder and an attempt to cover up the crime by dismembering her and dumping her torso in a pond near Joint Base Andrews.
While jailed without bail in the domestic violence case, the Sylla case began to take shape, according to court documents.
The remains found in Clinton were a match to DNA on Madame Sylla’s toothbrush.
Investigators say Landon and his truck were photographed by a witness as Landon allegedly dumped the torso in the the pond.
Prosecutors said Landon's cellphone records matched Sylla's last known location and tracked his movement from the Greenbelt park where she disappeared to Clinton.
Additional photo evidence from traffic cams and a gas station match the movements in the cellphone records, investigators say.
"Cutting tools” were also recovered, police say.
A public defender representing Landon said all the evidence is circumstantial.
Prosecutors called it a strong case that is getting stronger as more forensic investigation is done.
Landon remains jailed without bail after Wednesday's hearing.
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