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Press Release

District Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Involuntary Manslaughter

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia

            WASHINGTON – Edward Banks, 47 of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today to five years of incarceration for involuntary manslaughter.  The announcement was made by the Acting United States Attorney, Michael R. Sherwin and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            On February 24, 2020, Banks pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on one count of Involuntary Manslaughter.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Juliet McKenna on July 17, 2020.  Following his prison term, he will serve five years of supervised release.    

            On August 18, 2019, the defendant entered a homeless shelter located at 2700 Martin Luther King Avenue, SE.  At a certain point, the defendant was walking down a hallway in the shelter when he came upon the decedent, Mr. Abraham Weldemichael, who was standing outside the bathroom door.   The defendant became angry at the decedent and took an aggressive posture. The defendant then punched Mr. Weldemichael in the face once and fled the scene.  Mr. Weldemichael collapsed to the ground and did not move.  Mr. Weldemichael’s unconscious body was on the ground for approximately six minutes until he was eventually discovered by security staff.   Medical personnel arrived at the scene and Mr. Weldemichael was transported to George Washington Hospital.  Upon arrival, he was admitted in critical condition and it was determined that he was suffering from swelling and bleeding in the brain.   He eventually succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on August 21, 2019 at 2:32 am. 

            In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Sherwin commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Criminal Investigations Division Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department.  He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant United States Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, Paralegal Specialists Lashone Samuels; Victim Witness Specialist Jennifer Allen and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.

Updated July 20, 2020

Topic
Violent Crime
Press Release Number: 20-082