District Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison For Killing Man in Southeast Washington

            WASHINGTON – Clifton Johnson, 27, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 21 years in prison on charges stemming from the slaying of a man in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.

            Johnson was found guilty by a jury in May 2017 of second-degree murder while armed and a related weapons offense. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. Following his prison term, Johnson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the evening of Nov. 23, 2015, the victim, Dewayne Grandson, and his girlfriend stopped at a Chinese restaurant in the 2500 block of Pennsylvania Avenue SE, where Mr. Grandson ran into the defendant by happenstance. After a brief exchange, Johnson motioned for Mr. Grandson to come outside. Once outside, Johnson shot Mr. Grandson multiple times. Mr. Grandson, who was also armed, was able to fire one shot and hit Johnson in the torso. Mr. Grandson, 24, died from his injuries.

            Following the shooting, Johnson fled the scene. An off-duty officer with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stopped him shortly thereafter. The murder weapon was found in the defendant’s flight path.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Liaison and Operations Manager Linda McDonald; Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Anisha Bhatia, and Joshua Ellen; former Litigation Technology Specialist Aneela Bhatia; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators M. Laverne Perry and Katina Adams-Washington, and Victim/Witness Advocate James Brennan.

            Finally, he expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nebiyu Feleke and Richard Barker, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.