Darrel David Nixon, 31, of Silver Spring, has been charged by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) with involuntary manslaughter in relation to an assault outside a Bethesda lounge in February that killed Morgan Andrew Hippchen Stone, 44.
Montgomery County Police officers and Montgomery County Fire and Rescue personnel responded to the 4900 block of Cordell Avenue, outside La Catrina Lounge, on Saturday, February 15, 2025, at around 2:37 a.m., in response to an allegation of an assault, according to MCPD. Officers arrived to discover a male adult, Morgan Andrew Hippchen Stone, 44, unconscious and unresponsive in the street. Due to significant head damage, he was taken to a nearby hospital.
After being informed, detectives from the Major Crimes Division took over the case. Hippchen Stone and an unidentified male were seen arguing on local surveillance footage. Hippchen Stone reportedly lost consciousness and fell to the ground when the suspect attacked him during the argument.
Detectives determined that Silver Spring resident Darrel David Nixon, 31, was the suspect during the course of the inquiry.
On Sunday, March 9, Hippchen Stone passed away due to his injuries. On Tuesday, April 22, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner declared the death to be a homicide, ascribed to complications resulting from blunt force head trauma.
Nixon was taken into custody on Tuesday, June 24, after police acquired an arrest warrant on Saturday, June 21, accusing him of involuntary manslaughter. Nixon was taken to the Montgomery County Central Processing Unit, where the arrest warrant was served and he was subsequently freed on unsecured bond of $10,000.
