District Man Pleads Guilty to Fatally Shooting Man In Broad Daylight in Southwest Washington

            WASHINGTON – Seth Holmes, 25, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed for killing a man earlier this year in Southwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Holmes pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for an agreed-upon sentence of at least 10 years and up to 14 years in prison. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz set a hearing for Oct. 13, 2017 to determine whether to accept the plea and sentence.

            The government’s evidence demonstrated that on May 9, 2017, at approximately 2:05 p.m., officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) received a call to respond to a shooting that occurred in the 100 block of Irvington Street SW. Upon arrival, officers found the victim, Damonta Thompson, semi-conscious and unresponsive suffering from a gunshot wound to his body. The District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services transported Mr. Thompson to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy later determined that Mr. Thompson, 25, died from a gunshot wound to the back.

            Further investigation by MPD officers revealed that just prior to the shooting, Holmes pulled his vehicle into the 100 block of Irvington Street SW, where he observed Mr. Thompson. Holmes and Mr. Thompson exchanged words. Holmes then pulled his vehicle down the street, got out, and shot his gun four times in the direction of Mr. Thompson, hitting him one time in his back. Mr. Thompson died a short time later.

            Approximately, three days after the shooting, Holmes fled the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area to a relative’s residence in St. Petersburg, Fla. On June 5, 2017, Holmes was located by the U.S. Marshals Service and arrested at the residence. He was then transported back to the District of Columbia and was formally charged.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service. He also expressed appreciation for the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocates Jennifer Allen and Jennifer Clark, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia M. Long, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.