A former U.S. ambassador’s daughter who is charged with murder was ordered held without bond Tuesday afternoon after the judge said she is a danger to the community.
Sophia Negroponte, 27, is accused of stabbing 24-year-old Yousuf Rasmussen to death inside a Rockville, Maryland, home last week.
When police arrived about 11:15 p.m. Thursday, Negroponte was lying on top of Rasmussen’s the bloody body pleading for her friend not to die and saying she was sorry, according to court documents.
Negroponte, Rasmussen and another friend were drinking in the living room of a home in the 400 block of W. Montgomery Avenue that was listed on Airbnb, according to court documents.
When Negroponte and Rasmussen got into an argument, Negroponte went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and stabbed Rasmussen in the neck, according to court documents.
Negropante is the daughter of John Negropante, a former ambassador and U.S. director of national intelligence.
In court Tuesday, he told the judge his daughter has struggled with alcohol abuse and had recently gotten out of rehab. He said he would do everything in his power to ensure that she would stay out of trouble until her court date if the judge would release her.
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Her mother also testified about her daughter’s character and how she was trying to get her life on track.
Sophia Negroponte admitted arguing with her friend and pulling the knife from his neck but told police she has no memory of stabbing him, prosecutors said.
Her lawyer, Andrew Jezic, told the judge this is not a case of savage murder as the prosecutors described it.
“So there was a lot of drinking going on, and there was a lot going on with the dynamic between these two where we believe that it’s either going to be a complete self-defense, which is 100% not guilty, or something down the manslaughter, combined with the alcohol, so in the end, life in prison, first-degree murder is nowhere near this case.”
Sophia Negroponte was on probation at the time for DWI in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors also told the judge she was charged with assault two years ago in D.C.
