Press Release
District Man Sentenced To 6 ½ Years In Prison For Stabbing Two People In Separate Robberies Last Winter-Both Victims Robbed Of Their Cell Phones After They Were Stabbed-
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia
WASHINGTON – Eric D. Smith, 43, of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to a prison term of 6 ½ years on charges stemming from the stabbings of two people in separate robberies on back-to-back nights last December, one occurring outside of Gallery Place, and the other in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
Smith pled guilty in February 2014 to assault with a dangerous weapon, robbery, and attempt to commit robbery in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced on April 4, 2014, by the Honorable Robert I. Richter. Upon completion of his prison term, Smith will be placed on three years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, the first attack took place at about 6:50 p.m. on Dec. 18, 2013, in a rear alley behind the 600 block of H Street NW, near Gallery Place. Smith approached a man and stated “Money, money,” before stabbing the victim in the rear torso. The victim fell, and Smith went through his pockets, stealing a cell phone and other property.
The next night, Dec. 19, 2013, near 7th and H Streets NE, Smith and another man, Brandon Watts, approached a male victim and a female victim. Watts stated, “Give me your stuff,” and Watts asked Smith if Smith “still had the knife.” Smith then pulled out his knife, and stabbed the male victim in the thigh. Smith and Watts stole the man’s cell phone, and fled.
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), responding to a 911 call regarding the stabbing, located Smith and Watts a few blocks away. Both men were wearing ski masks. One of the men had made a throwing motion towards the ground; a knife and the victim’s cell phone were found on the ground where the objects were seen landing.
Smith pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and robbery in the second attack, and attempt to commit robbery in the first attack. Watts, 24, of Washington, D.C., pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and robbery in the second attack, and to receipt of stolen property in the first attack. Watts was sentenced on April 4, 2014 to a 43-month prison term. Watts will be placed on three years of supervised release following his prison term.
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney James A. Petkun, who prosecuted the matter.
14-080Updated February 19, 2015
Component