A man was sentenced Friday to serve 70 years in prison for fatally shooting a fellow passenger on a Maryland Transit Administration bus in downtown Baltimore. Prosecutors allege the victim dropped a bottle of Gatorade and refused to apologize.
Baltimore Circuit Judge Kimberly McBride said she believed James Richburg did not set out that afternoon looking for trouble; he expressed remorse for killing William Womack, 30, on South Eutaw Street on Nov. 30, 2024, she noted.
“The fact remains, however, that the jury reached the verdict they did,” McBride said.
Richburg, 63, of Saint Josephs, was found guilty in 2025 of second-degree murder, use of a handgun during the commission of a crime of violence and illegal possession of a regulated firearm.
Surveillance cameras captured the shooting.
Womack dropped a bottle of Gatorade near Richburg as he was trying to get off the bus, and an argument ensued. Richburg, prosecutors assert, then yelled, “I won’t let you live!”
Next, Womack got back on the bus and asked Richburg what he shouted. That’s when Richburg repeated himself, pulled a gun out of his pants and shot Womack one time in the chest, prosecutors reported.
Assistant State’s Attorney Brent Weinberg pushed for the maximum sentence: 75 years in prison.
Weinberg outlined what he described as Richburg’s lengthy criminal history, which includes convictions for robbery, burglary and illegal possession of a regulated firearm.
Richburg was “not capable of rehabilitation,” Weinberg said.
“The defendant felt emboldened not just to make death threats after Mr. Womack got off the bus, but to enforce the threats,” Weinberg said. “This is not how we deal with our problems in a civilized society.”
Weinberg read five victim impact statements on behalf of Womack’s mother, uncle and three sisters, who filled the back row of the courtroom gallery during sentencing.
Family members expressed their devastation over his loss and described the father of two as a kind, caring and funny man who had a passion for football and music.
Richburg’s attorney, Avrohom Greenfield, said prosecutors were ignoring the evidence in the case.
Womack, he said, harangued and leered at his client and failed to treat him with respect and dignity.
Greenfield said Richburg would have ended up in the hospital or dead had he not been armed and maintained the shooting was a form of self-defense.
“This is a fraught situation,” Greenfield said. “Mr. Richburg has nowhere to go.”
Richburg spoke at length about how he felt in danger and carried a gun for protection.
“I feel for their loss,” he said, “but what about me?”
He said he made mistakes but would not hurt someone in cold blood.
Outside the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse, Tamika Johnson, Womack’s mother, told reporters that she was pleased with the sentence, though it will not bring her son back.
Johnson said she did not believe Richburg was remorseful.
“William knew I loved him, William knew we all loved him,” Johnson said. “He had support, he had family.”
She urged people to “just love on your loved ones.”
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