District Man Pleads Guilty to Assault With Intent to Kill For Stabbing His Ex-Girlfriend

            WASHINGTON – Donta Winslow, 32, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to one count of assault with intent to kill while armed for stabbing his ex-girlfriend while they were in her car in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Winslow pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a prison sentence to be set within the range of 13 to 16 years. The Honorable Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for Feb. 26, 2016.

            According to the government’s evidence, Winslow was previously in a romantic relationship with the victim. She had ended the romantic relationship, however. In the late morning of Aug. 14, 2015, Winslow approached and then got into the victim’s car. At one point, near the intersection of 46th and Meade Streets NE, Winslow forced the victim to pull the car onto a curb. The victim was in the driver’s seat, and Winslow was in the passenger seat.

            Winslow took out a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times in the body, including in the back of her neck, back, and chest. The victim was curled down, facing forward in the seat, when Winslow stabbed her. A witness approached the car and confronted Winslow, causing him to get out of the car and run away.

            When officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) responded to the scene, they found the victim motionless on her side. She was transported to the hospital via ambulance. She had approximately 11 stab wounds to her body, and two collapsed lungs. She was admitted to the hospital for almost two months. She has severe spinal cord damage from the stabbing that initially left her paralyzed. Through extensive physical therapy, she has regained some of her motor skills, but remains significantly impaired and unable to walk on her own.

            Winslow fled the scene and was apprehended in Washington, D.C., shortly after the incident. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the officers and detectives who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Erica Vample and Joyce Arthur, and Victim/Witness Advocate Meshall Thomas. Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Elana Suttenberg, who investigated and prosecuted the case.