Man Found Guilty Of Voluntary Manslaughter While Armed In May 2012 Stabbing In Northwest WashingtonDefendant Started Argument, Leading To Altercation

     WASHINGTON - Jonathan Dawkins, 32, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of voluntary manslaughter while armed in the stabbing of a man in May 2012 in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     The verdict was returned in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, following a three-day trial. The Honorable Russell F. Canan scheduled sentencing for Aug. 8, 2014. Dawkins faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison.

     According to the government’s evidence, on May 1, 2012, at about 2:15 a.m., the victim, Dwayne Brisbon, 33, was stabbed to death in the 400 block of Florida Avenue NW.  Mr. Brisbon, a CT scan technician at Washington Hospital Center, was on his way home from Marvin, a bar and restaurant in the 2000 block of 14th Street NW. On his way home, Mr. Brisbon pulled his car over to check on a person he recognized from the establishment.

     Dawkins, who was walking with the person, became upset and aggressively approached Mr. Brisbon’s car.  Dawkins began arguing with Mr. Brisbon.  Mr. Brisbon eventually got out of his car and walked to the rear of the car, where Dawkins met him.  Mr. Brisbon punched Dawkins, and the two continued to fight.  During the fight, Dawkins stabbed Mr. Brisbon in the upper left bicep and the neck, piercing his carotid artery and jugular vein. 

     Dawkins then fled the scene while Mr. Brisbon got back in his car in an attempt to drive himself to the hospital.  Mr. Brisbon lost consciousness within seconds, and crashed into Shaw’s Tavern in the 500 block of Florida Avenue NW.  Surveillance video from Shaw’s Tavern captured the defendant and the person who was with him just minutes before the murder. 

     In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of members of the Metropolitan Police Department, who investigated the case.  U.S. Attorney Machen also thanked those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Mia Beamon and Kelly Blakeney; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators La June Thames and Katina Adams-Washington; Litigation Support Specialist Kimberly Smith; Criminal Investigator Durand Odom; and Victim Witness Specialist Tamara Ince.   Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Holly Shick and Veronica Sanchez, who prosecuted the case.