Maryland Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison For Killing Two Men in 2017 Shooting in Northeast Washington
One Victim Died at Scene, Other Died 18 Months Later
WASHINGTON – Matthew Moore, Jr., 34, formerly of District Heights, Md., was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for a shooting that killed two people who were sitting in a car in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD)
Moore pled guilty in August 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to two counts of second-degree murder while armed. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for a sentence of 24 to 36 years in prison. The Honorable Danya A. Dayson accepted the plea; however, Moore attempted to withdraw his plea several months later. Judge Dayson ultimately denied the defendant’s motion to withdraw and sentenced Moore accordingly. Following his prison term, Moore will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on Jan. 17, 2017, at about 6:23 a.m., Moore was driving a white Kia Optima and the victims – Ronnell Reaves and Kevin Kennedy – were passengers. Moore pulled into the 600 block of 14th Place NE and parked the vehicle. He and Mr. Reaves then got out of the car and walked into a nearby alleyway. Mr. Kennedy remained in the car. Minutes later, Mr. Reaves returned to the car and got in the driver’s seat. Mr. Reaves was in the driver’s seat, and Mr. Kennedy was in the back seat, when Moore returned to the car.
At 6:36 a.m., Moore opened the front passenger door, leaned into the car, and pulled out a firearm. He fired two shots at Mr. Reaves in the front seat and two more shots at Mr. Kennedy in the back seat. Mr. Reaves, 22, was pronounced dead at the scene. Mr. Kennedy was taken to a hospital and later to a long-term care facility, where he died on July 9, 2018. He was 23. An autopsy determined that he died from gunshot wounds to the head and related complications.
On Jan. 26, 2017, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Moore’s residence in District Heights. As a result of this search, law enforcement recovered a .40-caliber sub-compact, semi-automatic handgun. The gun was loaded with cartridges that were consistent with the four shell casings recovered from the scene of the shooting. Moore was arrested on Feb. 6, 2017, and 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 District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and the District of Columbia Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Kelly Blakeney, Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Allessandra Stewart, who investigated and prosecuted the case.