Man gets 72 years for killing his 72-year-old mother over the use of her car

A Maryland judge sentenced a man to life in prison with all but 72 years suspended for killing his 72-year-old mother.

Lorena Royster was found dead in her Bladensburg home last year. She had a handcuff around her wrist and had been stabbed 47 times.

Prosecutors said Royster’s son, 53-year-old Reginald English, “killed his mother over the use of a Toyota Camry.”

They said English also got into an argument about the car with his sister while he was in jail.

“The defendant called his sister and got into an argument over the title of the car,” the prosecutor said.

English was convicted last summer. A Prince George’s County judge granted the state’s sentencing request Friday, with the 72 years representing Royster’s age when she was killed.

“For me, 72 years is going to forever be etched in his brain,” said Royster’s stepdaughter Audrey Lawrence. “I don’t care where he goes until the day he leaves this earth and even when he’s in the ground, he’s probably going to remember 72.”

English offered no words in court and had no reaction to the sentence.

Royster’s loved ones say while they believe justice was served, there’s still a void in their hearts.

“She was a pillar in our family, as well,” niece Tracie Quander said.

“Her dedication to family and to making sure that people around her are OK is unmeasurable,” Lawerence said.

While the sentence offered her loved ones some closure, they’re still dealing with the pain.

“She was a caregiver, someone who loved anyone that she met,” Quander said. “She would give you the shirt off of her back.”

“She supports everybody,” friend Shirley Battle said. “She loved and cared for everybody. And I couldn’t help but to support her. That’s our job; that’s what we do. We support one another. And I love her till the end.”