District Man Pleads Guilty To Murder Charge In 2011 Slaying Of Taxicab Driver In Northeast Washington-Shooting Took Place During A Robbery, Following Argument Over 75 Cents-

     WASHINGTON – Rashad Slye, 23, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder while armed for the 2011 killing of a taxicab driver during a robbery in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Slye entered the plea in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea agreement, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a sentence of 17 years in prison. The Honorable Jennifer Anderson scheduled sentencing for April 4, 2014.

     According to the government’s evidence, on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2011, at about 2:50 a.m., Slye and a friend called for a taxicab at the Morgan Boulevard Metro station in Landover, Md.  Within a few minutes, the victim, Domingo Ezirike, 40, arrived in his taxicab and picked up Slye and his friend. Slye asked to be taken to Ponds Street NE in the District of Columbia. Mr. Ezirike asked Slye and his friend for $20, and the friend gave Mr. Ezirike $20. Within minutes, Slye began arguing with Mr. Ezirike about the fare and about the lack of heat or music in the cab. 

     Mr. Ezirike drove the cab to the 4300 block of Ponds Street NE and he asked for an additional $7.75 in fare. Slye’s friend gave him $5 and Slye gave him $2. However, Mr. Ezirike insisted on the additional 75 cents, and he and Slye argued over the money. 

     After Slye’s friend got out of the cab and left the immediate area, Slye continued to argue over the fare.  He pulled out a 9mm handgun and demanded the $20 back. He also ordered Mr. Ezirike out of the cab and onto the ground. At that point, he stood over Mr. Ezirike and began to rifle through his pockets, asking where the money could be found.

     Slye struck Mr. Ezirike in the head with the gun and continued searching him, insisting he was hiding the money. Mr. Ezirike offered to remove his pants and while still on the ground, did so.  Slye then entered the vehicle, still holding Mr. Ezirike on the ground at gunpoint, as he searched the front passenger compartment. He then ordered Mr. Ezirike back into the taxicab and insisted that he search for money.  Then, as Mr. Ezirike sat in the driver's seat, Slye fired a single shot that struck him in the arm, causing him to immediately fall back into the seat and remain still. Slye immediately fled the scene towards the 1500 block of Anacostia Avenue NE. 

     Mr. Ezirike placed the vehicle in reverse and drove it backwards and onto grass on Anacostia Avenue.  He died on the scene, as the bullet traveled from his arm and into his chest cavity.  

     In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers and crime scene technicians who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Meridith McGarrity, Mia Beamon, Phaylyn Hunt, Paralegal Supervisor Sharon Newman, Victim Advocate Tamara Ince, Information Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys David J. Gorman and Kacie M. Weston.