DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro imposed a suspended sentence for a stabbing defendant on Sept. 9.
On July 17, Starleash Clyburn, 36, pled guilty to the attempted assault with a dangerous weapon (ADW) for her involvement in a stabbing that occurred on the 2700 block of Langston Place, SE, on March 24.
Through the deal, Clyburn also pleaded guilty to simple assault for her involvement in an unrelated domestic violence incident.
The prosecution argued for 12 months of incarceration for the assault with a dangerous weapon charge and 180 days for the simple assault charge. They noted that the defendant had stabbed another individual while on pretrial release and had not complied with drug testing in the past. They also cited a misdemeanor charge from 14 years ago, arguing that Clyburn cannot be compliant.
Clyburn’s defense attorney, Karen Minor, argued for a six-month suspended sentence and an additional 90 days for the assault with probation.
According to Minor, Clyburn had followed many of her pretrial conditions faithfully, was receiving mental health treatment, and had taken multiple courses while in jail, including anger management, critical thinking, and substance abuse.
“These 89 days, I’ve learned a lot,” said Clyburn, after reflecting on her time in jail.
Judge Di Toro imposed a 12-month suspended sentence with 12 months of probation and 2 years of supervised release.
Judge Di Toro also ordered a $100 contribution to the victims’ fund, a psychological evaluation for anxiety issues, and a substance abuse evaluation for the AWD charge.
Clyburn received an additional 90-day suspended sentence and 12 months concurrent probation, along with an order to pay an additional $50 to the victims’ fund for the simple assault charge.
No further dates were set.
