Judge Sentences Defendant to 16 Years in Prison for Killing, Evidence Tampering

By Sam Chodorow [former] - May 6, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A defendant will serve 16 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter and tampering with evidence for his involvement in a 2017 homicide.

John Jabar McRae, 40, was accused of killing Marty McMillan, 22, after he found McMillan in his home with his significant other.

McMillan and one of the women McRae was in a relationship with, were having sex at his apartment on the 2600 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE. According to court documents, McRae walked in the apartment almost directly after the two finished having sex and shot McMillan seven times, after which he left the property. 

When he returned, McMillan’s body had been moved to a bedroom closet by McRae’s girlfriend, Shaniah Davis, who was also charged in the murder. McRae then wrapped up McMillan’s body, and dumped it on the Suitland Parkway, documents state. The body was found almost ten months later when a land surveyor discovered McMillan’s body by accident.

During the May 3 hearing, McMillan’s family provided victim impact statements to the court.

“The pain I endure is so immense,” McMillan’s mother said. “Marty was exceptionally bright… despite challenges, my son persevered.” She then went on to explain the search efforts that she and the family undertook, noting that at one point, she had even knocked on McRae’s door to ask for information about her son. 

“You snatched my son away from me,” she said as she looked him in the eye. “No part of me will ever forgive you.”

McMillan’s grandmother described how she turned her life around when her grandson had been born. “I’m a recovering addict, clean for 31 years… he gave me purpose,” she said. “When life got hard, I thought about that little baby.” She concluded her statement by telling McRae that she hoped he’d find God, and ask him for forgiveness.

McmIllan’s father kept his statement brief, simply requesting that justice truly be served for his son. “I don’t agree with this plea deal,” he said. “I want him to get the maximum.”

McMillan’s younger sister said she wanted McRae and his girlfriend “to feel the way we  feel.”

Multiple cousins of McMillan joined on Webex to provide additional victim impact statements, after which counsel began discussing the sentencing. 

“Marty’s case remained a missing person’s case for six months,” a prosecutor said. “At that point, he was just bones.”

Wole Faldoun, one of McRae’s defense attorneys, requesedt leniency on behalf of his client. “Nothing I say today will make this better,” he explained. “On behalf of Mr. McRae, I would like to extend my deepest apologies.”

Faldoun explained that while the family shouldn’t forgive his client immediately, he “hoped that with the passage of time, you can learn to do so.” 

He concluded by explaining that McRae was truly sorry for what happened, and that his client had also struggled with substance abuse issues.

“I know there’s nothing I can say to change your hearts, but I am deeply sorry for the way things turned out,” McRae said.

DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan sentenced McRae to 16 years for voluntary manslaughter while armed, and two years for tampering with evidence, which will be served concurrently. He will also get credit for time served since his arrest in 2018. 

Upon release, he will serve five years of supervised release, will be required to register as a gun offender in DC, engage in an intervention plan, and will pay $200 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund (VVCF). 

McRae has also requested to serve his sentence in a location other than the DC Jail, which is being evaluated by the Bureau of Prisons (BoP).

Davis, 23, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice and attempted tampering with evidence on March 9, 2022. She is set to be sentenced on May 24, 2024.