District Woman Sentenced To 35 Years In Prison For June 2012 Slaying Of Next-Door Neighbor-Victim Was Stabbed In Presence Of Her Six-Year-Old Child-

     WASHINGTON Cydrisse Alvin, 33, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 35 years in prison on a charge of first-degree murder while armed for the June 2012 stabbing of her next-door neighbor, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Alvin was found guilty by a jury in December 2013, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She was sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of her prison term, Alvin will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, on June 4, 2012, at about 9 a.m., Alvin knocked on the door of the victim, 28-year-old Amber Kent, her next-door neighbor and former friend. Ms. Kent answered the door in her pajamas. Within seconds, Alvin entered and stabbed Ms. Kent three times – once in the chest and twice in the back. The murder happened in the presence of Ms. Kent’s daughter, who was six years old at the time. After stabbing Ms. Kent, Alvin quickly fled the scene and was apprehended hours later. 

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Marian Russell, Fern Rhedrick, Phil Aronson, Ethel Noble, Sharon Newman, and Mia Beamon; Litigation Technology Specialist Joshua Ellen; Investigative Analyst Sharon Johnson, and David Foster and Tamara Ince of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen recognized the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Worm, who investigated and prosecuted the case.