District Man Sentenced to 35 Year Prison Term For Killing Man in Southeast Washington

            WASHINGTON – Dennis Chase, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on July 25, 2025, to 420 months in prison for the 2020 murder of Anthony Orr in Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

            In October of 2024, a jury sitting in Superior Court found the defendant guilty of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm.   

            According to the government’s evidence, the defendant drove around the Washington Highlands neighborhood with the victim, Anthony Orr, sitting in the passenger seat. As the defendant slowly drove down Xenia St. SE, he raised a gun to Mr. Orr’s head and fired one lethal shot. The defendant pushed Mr. Orr out of the car and sped off. The defendant drove 30 miles North of the District to the woods of Severn, Maryland, where he doused the car in diesel exhaust fluid and attempted to light it on fire. The defendant then hiked through the woods until he found a random home, where he stripped down and hid his clothes and other evidence in the back shed, knocked on the back door, and asked for help. The homeowner called 911, and Anne Arundel County Police arrested the defendant on an unrelated warrant. MPD Homicide Detectives later charged defendant for the murder of Mr. Orr. The defendant testified at trial and claimed he acted in self-defense.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Anne Arundel County Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin, Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity, Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling and Charlie Bruce, Victim/Witness Advocate Jenn Clark, and Victim/Witness Coordinators Maenylie Watson and Katina Adams-Washington.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter Roman, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wes Faulkner and Andrea Antonelli, who prosecuted the case.