A Baltimore man was sentenced Wednesday to decades in prison in the fatal shooting of his roommate, an Army reservist, following an altercation last year.

Circuit Court Judge John Addison Howard sentenced 25-year-old Markis Russell to 60 years with 20 years suspended for second-degree murder and use of a firearm, according to the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office.

“We had a case of first-degree with some alleged facts, but we successfully negotiated for a second-degree plea and a firearm charge that Mr. Russell accepted and felt confident with,” said Thomas Maronick Jr., an attorney for Russell. He said his client “conveyed his deepest condolences to the family and he deeply apologizes about the circumstances.”

Russell has been in jail since Baltimore Police linked him to the death of Jeffrey Brooks Jr., 22, an Army reservist who went missing in March 2023 and whose body was found soon after in a vehicle behind a gas station in Northeast Baltimore.

The two had a verbal dispute that turned physical before Russell fatally shot Brooks in the house they shared on the 3100 block of Mary Avenue, authorities said. Russell and Brooks’ dispute was over money, according to charging documents.

Police found Brooks with a gunshot wound to his body in the 6800 block of Harford Road. Police said Russell had rented a U-Haul to move the body and attempted to clean up the crime scene.

As Russell walked into a Baltimore courtroom Wednesday in a yellow jumpsuit, he saw the faces of more than 20 friends and family members of Brooks — some of whom he knew.

Russell and Brooks were reservists in the the U.S. military, classmates and even friends at one point, according to Danielle Clapperton, Brooks’ girlfriend. She was among those who gave victim impact statements.

“Jeffrey taught me acceptance, to not stress the things I cannot change. He taught me patience, to give more grace to those around me,” Clapperton said. “I’ve lost my best friend, the man who was soon going to be my husband and [whom I was] excited to spend the rest of my life with.”

Brooks’ father, Jeffrey Brooks Sr., and other family members felt law enforcement took a “lackadaisical” approach to the investigation. He said family members had to act like detectives from the TV show “CSI” and direct detectives to evidence.

The elder Brooks told police he saw Russell leaving the home with a wet vacuum on the same day the family reported him missing, The Banner has reported.

Police last year publicly praised the family’s “active participation and cooperation” in the investigation, saying that, without it, “this case would not have been solved, Jeffrey Brooks Jr. would still be missing, and his killer would still be at large.”

Asked Tuesday if justice had been served, Brooks Sr. said it’s difficult to put into words how troubling the loss of his son is.

“I’ll never be satisfied with the outcome of not having my son. So, as best I can be satisfied, I’m satisfied that he was given the maximum number of years that he could,” Brooks Sr. said.

Marlo Bryant-Cunningham, a cousin of Brooks Jr., recounted her love for him. She said it was important for relatives to appear at the sentencing and offer testimony.

“If he [Russell] ever comes up for parole or files an appeal, we want the record to reflect the kind of person he took from us, in case his release is ever considered,” Bryant-Cunningham said.