A Maryland man was found guilty of first-degree murder on Tuesday for the gruesome July 2023 killing of Greenbelt teacher Mariame Toure Sylla.
The verdict for Harold Landon III came down after several days’ worth of testimony that included prosecutors presenting graphic photos of Sylla’s remains and a phone recording in which Landon spoke about the murder.
While it remains unknown why Landon targeted Sylla, investigators previously said there is no indication Landon and Sylla had known each other.
Jailhouse audio presented by the prosecution team caught Landon saying he had “fully let the savage inside of me out awake and out of the cage,” 7News reported of the court proceedings.
The beloved third grade teacher, who also went by the name “Madame Sylla” by her students at the Dora Kennedy French Immersion School, went missing July 29, 2023. She was last seen going for one of her regular walks through Schrom Hills Park.
Questions surrounding Sylla’s whereabouts were promptly raised after she failed to show up for an evening prayer that day.
Fatima Toure, Sylla’s sister, described the third grade teacher to 7News as a “quiet woman” who loved working with children. “She had never done something bad,” she said.
At the time of Sylla’s disappearance, the Greenbelt community came together, holding a vigil and passing out flyers to spread the word.
One student recalled to 7News how Sylla had always been kind to him, regularly offering a greeting. “I could see that she actually meant it when she said hi back to me,” he said.
Zeroing in on Landon
From the time Sylla went missing, it would be weeks before details surfaced in early September 2023 of Sylla’s killing or of charges filed against Landon for the murder.
The case began shifting into a murder investigation on Aug. 1, 2023, after police were alerted to human remains being found on rocks near a pond in the 7300 block of Old Alexandria Ferry Road in Clinton, Maryland.
The remains were decapitated at the collar, with extremities amputated at both knees and shoulders. An autopsy later confirmed traces of Sylla’s blood were consistent with those found on the remains.
Landon came into the picture after a witness relayed to investigators that a man in a white pickup had been spotted dumping at the Clinton pond, charging documents said at the time. The same witness snapped an image of the man that Landon later confirmed was him.
Police were also able to pinpoint Landon at the scene through surveillance footage, as well as phone records that pinged Landon to the park that Sylla visited and the area where her remains were found.
A search of Landon’s home had also turned up power tools that matched cuts found on the body.
Incidentally, Landon had already been in police custody the day Sylla’s remains were uncovered. He was being held on an unrelated domestic violence charge.
WTOP’s John Domen and Scott Gelman contributed to this report.
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