45 Year Prison Term for Man Who Shot and Killed a 22-Year-Old in Southeast Washington D.C.

            WASHINGTON – Bernard Matthews, 45, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for the February 16, 2021, shooting of Diamonte Green in Southeast D.C. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            A Superior Court jury found Matthews guilty of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm and carrying a pistol without a license on August 12, 2024, before the Honorable Michael O’Keefe.

            According to the evidence presented at trial, around mid-afternoon, on February 16, 2021, Matthews walked several blocks and sought out the victim, 22-year-old Diamonte Green, who was threatening the defendant’s son via Instagram. The defendant shot the unarmed victim eight times inside the entry way of an apartment building at 33^rd and C Street SE, killing him.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. It was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrea Coronado and Kathleen Gibbons of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.