FREDERICK, MD – The Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office announced that 24-year-old Tyree Ronell Deangelo Haynes has been sentenced to life in prison, with all but 40 years suspended, for the first-degree murder of 17-year-old Malakai Cooke. The sentencing took place today in the Frederick County Circuit Court under Judge Scott Rolle.

Haynes, who has been in custody at the Frederick County Adult Detention Center since June 24, 2021, entered a guilty plea on April 24, 2024. The conviction stems from an incident on April 16, 2021, where Haynes fatally shot Cooke in the parking lot of the Country Inn and Suites in Frederick.

Evidence, including multiple video surveillance recordings, helped reconstruct the events leading to the tragic shooting. According to reports, Cooke had expressed fears for his life to his family, leading him to live with friends to protect his immediate family members.

During the sentencing hearing, emotional impact statements were delivered by the victim’s parents. “Tyree stalked my son for months. My son told me he feared for his life and I will never see Kai graduate high school,” expressed Katey Cooke, Malakai’s mother.

Upon his eventual release, Haynes will be subject to five years of supervised probation and is required to have no contact with the victim’s family. His probation conditions will also include undergoing alcohol and drug evaluations and treatment, as well as mental health evaluation and treatment.

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