Maryland Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison For Shooting That Killed One Man, Wounded Another

            WASHINGTON – Demarius Jackson, 25, of Hyattsville, Md., was sentenced today to 15 years in prison on charges stemming from a shooting in Northwest Washington last year that killed one man and injured another, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Jackson pled guilty in May 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to charges of voluntary manslaughter while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence between 13 and 16 years in prison. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea and sentenced Jackson accordingly. Following his prison term, Jackson will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to a factual proffer submitted at the plea hearing, the shooting took place at approximately 2:50 a.m. on Saturday, July 8, 2017. The shooting, in the 3500 block of Water Street NW, in the Georgetown area, followed a verbal altercation between the victims and the occupants of a vehicle. The vehicle was operated by an associate of Jackson’s. The interaction continued for about five minutes and concluded when Jackson walked up to one victim, Kennedy Amaya-Olivares, and shot him three times. He then chased after the other victim, shooting at him multiple times and striking him twice in the torso. Mr. Amaya-Olivares, 19, was shot once in the back of the head and once in the chest. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

            Jackson was arrested on Sept. 12, 2017, in Morgantown, W. Va., and extradited to the District of Columbia. He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Finally, they acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Lornce Applewhite, Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Merikas, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.