DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced an adolescent carjacker with a history of prior crimes to five years in prison on Sept. 5.
On April 4, Demonta King, 19, pleaded guilty to armed robbery and armed carjacking for his involvement in a Nov. 18, 2024 incident on the 4000 block of Fort Totten Drive, NE.
According to court documents, a 78 year-old owner and taxicab operator was stabbed and carjacked during the incident.
King was accompanied in the courtroom by his mother, father, and sister. Defense attorney Mark Rollins claimed that King suffered from a traumatic childhood, which influenced his history of violent behavior.
“I get into moods where I use my past trauma to use excuses to harm other people,” King said. “I’m not making excuses anymore.”
The defense requested that given King’s age, it made him a potential candidate for the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA), which allows young defendant’s convictions be sealed if they successfully complete all sentencing requirements. Rollins requested Judge Di Toro impose a seven year sentence with five years of supervised release.
“If you take him out of the community for six or seven years, you will see a different man,” Rollins said. “We cannot warehouse our young people so that they come out in 20 years and expect them to be different.”
The prosecution argued that King has had an extensive history with armed carjackings and robberies, and that King views his actions as a source of entertainment. At the time of this incident, King was probation for similar crimes.
Judge Di Toro told King, “I believe you when you say that’s not who you are, but this is not how you go,” and denied Rollin’s request to sentence him under the YRA.
Di Toro sentenced King to 60 months of imprisonment with five years of supervised release for each charge, with his sentences running concurrently.
No further dates were set.
