Maryland man gets 48 years for fatal stabbing

A 55-year-old Waldorf man was sentenced to 48 years in prison for stabbing a man to death and wounding a woman at a Waldorf home in 2023.

What happened: Charles County Circuit Court Judge H. James West sentenced Scott Anthony Goldsmith May 14 after a jury convicted him March 9 of second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Goldsmith received 30 years for the murder of Timothy Louis Portzen and 18 years for the assault of a second victim, with the sentences running back to back.

What we know: Charles County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a Waldorf residence in the early morning hours of Oct. 3, 2023, after a stabbing was reported. A woman told deputies she had been stabbed in the neck and had a wound running from her right shoulder to her back. She was flown to a hospital and survived.

Deputies found Portzen in a bedroom with multiple stab wounds to the chest. Emergency responders tried to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators determined Goldsmith arrived at the home and demanded to see the woman’s boyfriend, who was not there, and Portzen. He pushed past the woman, stabbed her in the neck, then went to Portzen’s bedroom and stabbed him nine times. The woman retreated to her room and heard a struggle before Goldsmith left.

What he admitted: After his arrest, Goldsmith admitted to the murder while incarcerated. He also admitted to throwing away the knife used in the attack. Investigators found the surviving victim’s blood on a tire Goldsmith had punctured after leaving the scene.

What was said in court: Assistant State’s Attorney Kate Edmands asked Judge West for a sentence above standard guidelines. “The facts of this case warrants an above guideline sentence,” Edmands said.

Before handing down the sentence, Judge West addressed what happened to Portzen. “[The victim] wasn’t looking for any trouble with Goldsmith,” West said. “This is really a tragic way to go. He probably, when he walked into the house that day, thought he was safe. He didn’t deserve to die.”