Homicide Defendant Testifies He Thought His House Was Under Attack

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A murder defendant accused of killing a juvenile testified before DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein on Aug. 14.

Jason Lewis, 42, is charged with second-degree murder while armed, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 13-year-old Karon Blake on Jan. 7, 2023. The incident occurred on the 1000 block of Quincy Street, NE.

Lewis, who has lived in DC his whole life and has a wife and four children, went into detail about his involvement in community programs including promoting mental health and suicide prevention and teaching children about marijuana laws.

Lewis explained he returned home around 3 a.m. on Jan. 6 from work and as he was trying to sleep, he heard a noise thinking someone was trying to break into his home.

He said he went to check, grabbing his gun from a locked safe. Lewis said he had not checked his security cameras, believing there was not enough time to cover the entrance and exit to his home.

Once outside standing by the gate entrance, he said he saw a gun and a flash.

Lewis said he recalls maybe seconds passed and a person charging toward him. He said he shot at the individual who was unrecognizable.

Lewis said he recalled the person saying he was sorry and only 12-years-old.

Lewis then called 911 and administered CPR until police arrived.

He didn’t say he felt threatened at the time and was only focused on saving Blake. When the prosecution questioned him his explanation, Lewis stated he was worried police might shoot hin.

The prosecution pointed out the first thing Lewis told a 911 operator was that he was licensed to carry a concealed weapon rather than requesting an ambulance.

The prosecution also showed footage of Lewis calling his mother, who was a former Metropolitan Police Department Officer (MPD), saying he believed he had killed a child.

The prosecution also called on a worker from the US attorney’s office Litigation Technology Section to detail a video compilation video of the incident.

However, during cross-examination, defense attorney Edward Ungvarsky presented the same video and played a section frame-by-frame to show the sequence was technically flawed. A firearms expert testified the cartridge casings recovered from the scene were consistent with the gun belonging to Lewis.

The defense called an MPD officer, who is part of the school safety division to testify about Lewis’ character. They have collaborated for more than a decade on events and programs to help children.

The officer described Lewis as “always there for the children” and his “heart always in the right place.” when it came to the children Lewis interacted with.

Parties are slated to return on Aug. 15 for closing statements.