Oxon Hill man indicted in stepfather’s killing after April dispute

A spring dispute in Oxon Hill has become a homicide case, with 47-year-old Delvin Graham now indicted in the killing of his 79-year-old stepfather, James Venable. What began inside a home on the 1600 block of Fenwood Avenue on April 3 ended with Venable’s death on April 22, turning a domestic call into a case that now carries major criminal exposure.

Prince George’s County police said officers were called to the home around 4:25 to 4:30 p.m. after a report of a dispute. They found Venable unresponsive and showing signs of trauma. Police said Graham was arrested at the scene, and investigators believe a verbal argument became physical before Graham assaulted Venable multiple times, causing him to lose consciousness.

Venable was taken to the hospital and remained there for 19 days before he died. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide. WTOP reported that Graham is being held without bond.

The indictment matters because it formalizes the case after weeks in which the full consequences of the assault were still unfolding. Prosecutors will now have to prove that Graham was the person who assaulted Venable, that the injuries from that attack caused Venable’s death, and that the death fits the legal standard for homicide. The timeline also shows how a domestic incident can move from a police response in the moment to a murder prosecution only after medical findings and the legal process catch up.

The case lands in a county where domestic violence homicides remain a continuing public-safety problem. The Prince George’s County State’s Attorney’s Office says domestic, or family, violence homicides increased from 14 in 2022 to 22 in 2023. Many of those cases involved family relationships, including parents, children, siblings and stepparents. In 2024, 19.7% of the county’s 91 homicides were domestic.

Prince George’s County Police, the fourth-largest law enforcement agency in Maryland, said it has more than 1,500 officers and 300 civilians serving nearly 900,000 residents. Its Domestic Violence Unit investigates first-degree domestic-related assaults between intimate partners and household family members, a reminder that these cases often begin with arguments or injuries that do not immediately reveal how severe they may become.

For families and neighbors in Oxon Hill, the case is another stark example of how fast a domestic dispute can turn deadly, and how long the aftermath can last as investigators, medical examiners and prosecutors piece together the path from assault to homicide. The county’s Family Justice Center remains one place where people affected by domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking can seek coordinated help.