District Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Prison For 2013 Murders of Siblings in Northeast Washington -Sister Died While Trying to Shield Her Younger Brother From Gunfire-

            WASHINGTON – Kevin Walker, 39, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 80 years in prison for killing two people – a sister and her brother - in Northeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

            Walker was found guilty by a jury in December 2014 of two counts of first-degree murder while armed and two related firearms offenses. The verdicts followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Russell F. Canan.

            According to the government’s evidence, on July 20, 2013, at about 4:30 a.m., Walker killed Jamie Jenkins, 28, and her brother, Jamahl Jenkins, 21, in the 5300 block of East Capitol Street NE. Before the shootings, Jamie Jenkins had been involved in a fight with Walker’s girlfriend. Jamahl Jenkins was present, but not involved.  After the fight broke up, the siblings left the area, but they came back a few minutes later to look for Jamie Jenkins’s lost cell phone.

            Walker then came outside with a gun and approached the pair. Eyewitnesses screamed at Walker that the fight was over, and that it wasn’t serious. However, words were exchanged, and Walker then fired his gun. According to the government’s evidence, Jamie Jenkins was fatally shot when she jumped in front of the first bullet intended for her brother. Walker then followed Jamahl Jenkins and shot him six times in the back as he tried to run away.

            After the shooting, Walker fled to North Carolina, where he was apprehended by the U.S. Marshals Service in September 2013.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, which investigated the case. He also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the District of Columbia’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Services, and the U.S. Marshals Service. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Litigation Technology Specialists Anisha Bhatia and Leif Hickling; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; and Paralegal Specialists Kwasi Fields and Kendra Johnson. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Magdalena Acevedo and Demian S. Ahn, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

15-043