Oldham County teacher tried to help Washington man charged with his murder, court documents show

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- New court documents reveal an Oldham County High School teacher shot and killed in Washington, D.C. last week tried to show kindness to the man now charged with his murder.

Maxwell Emerson, 25, offered the man money when he asked for help outside a metro station, according to court documents.

Emerson was shot and killed early Wednesday, July 5, at The Catholic University of America.

Maxwell Emerson-Jaime Maceo surveillance video 7-5-23 — Surveillance video captured an interaction with Maxwell Emerson, 25, and Jaime Maceo/Macedo, 22, on the morning of Wednesday, July 5, 2023. Maceo is charged with Emerson's murder. (Photo courtesy of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia)

The shooting was captured from several angles on surveillance video, photos of which are included in the court documents. The suspect, Jaime Maceo, 22, (also known as Jaime Macedo) is seen lurking outside a metro station near the university campus. The victim, Emerson, encountered Maceo around 7:30 a.m.

Court documents show Maceo asked Emerson for help. Prosecutors said surveillance video shows him reaching into his wallet for money. But soon after, it turned into a hold-up.

Maceo then appears to follow Emerson down the street. In another shot, Emerson can be seen walking with his hands up. The interaction played out over several minutes. At the 7:51 a.m. marker, the two are seen in a courtyard area at the school. At 7:55 a.m., they were seen on a bench where police said Maceo picked up Emerson's backpack.

From there, the two got into a physical fight, and the teacher was shot in the stomach. Surveillance photos taken from the video also show Maceo after the shooting. Police said he was running from the scene.

Maceo, of Northwest, D.C., was arrested and charged with first degree murder in Emerson's death on Tuesday.

Court documents show Maceo is a repeat felony offender who continued to get put on probation. He had three convictions in the last three years and received probation in every case — even though one of the cases was for a violent burglary and another was for threats.

Prosecutors said Maceo consistently violated his probation, failed to report for mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, drug testing, and was testing positive for cocaine.

The most recent case was in March, where Maceo was convicted of attempted threats and his 120-day sentence was suspended. Prosecutors said he is a danger, and are using his long criminal history to try and convince a judge to keep Maceo in jail until his trial.

"The defendant was already on probation in three cases at the time of the instant offense, including a crime of violence and a gun possession offense," prosecutors wrote in the court documents. "He has been given repeated opportunities to attend drug and mental health treatment programs... and was placed back into the community even after he violated his probationary conditions...

"Despite all of these chances, the defendant continued to commit crimes and tragically, during his most recent criminal activity, once again committed with a firearm, he robbed and killed someone who had tried to show him kindness by giving him money when he asked for help. Through this pattern of violations of probation and serious criminal activity, the defendant has demonstrated by clear and convincing evidence that no conditions will reasonably protect the community from him if he is released."

Emerson taught social studies and was the assistant wrestling coach at Oldham County High School. His family said Wednesday a service for him will take place on July 17 at the Southeast Christian Church Crestwood campus. The public visitation is scheduled from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The funeral is at 3 p.m. For additional information, click here.

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