DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park sentenced a defendant to 252 months in prison on Jan.16, for shooting his childhood friend eight times in front of the victim’s home
Darrell Hinkle, 37, pled guilty on Sept. 4, 2025, to second-degree murder while armed for his involvement in the killing of Dajuan Blakney, 32. The incident occurred on the 1500 block of 19th Street, SE, on April 21, 2023.
According to court documents, Blakney and Hinkle had grown up together, but had been feuding before the shooting.
Through the plea agreement, parties agreed to a sentencing range of 17-to-21 years of imprisonment.
The prosecutors read statements from Blakney’s family. Many requested that he face the maximum sentence.
“Our family is serving a life-sentence of grief,” Blakney’s sister-in-law wrote in a statement. “Holidays, birthdays, and gatherings are now reminders of what was stolen from us.”
Blakney was killed two days before his mother’s birthday. According to the family statements, he had given her money for a trip to California as a gift. “Before leaving, I went to see my son so I could hug him and kiss him,” she wrote in her statement.
“I am heartbroken not only because my son is gone, but because of who caused this pain,” Blakney’s mother added. “Someone I considered a nephew, a family-friend.”
Prosecution argued for the maximum sentence, citing that Hinkle had previously been convicted for shooting a man in the foot, but was given less than the maximum sentence since his commitment to family and employed status made him a candidate for rehabilitation.
“He had a lot of things going for him, but none of that mattered,” the prosecutor said. “When Darrell Hinkle gets angry, he resorts to violence.”
Defense attorney Lucas Dansie requested the minimum sentence because Hinkle demonstrated remorse and did not arrive at Blakney’s home with the intention to kill him. While Hinkle did arrive armed, Dansie argued that the two had grown up in an area where firearms were common. He said Blakney’s associates did not flee when he arrived with the gun because they were not afraid of him.
In a statement to the court, Hinkle said he did not intend to kill Blakney. Rather, he was responding to a prior argument in which Blakney held a gun to him.
“I wanted him to see how it felt to be held at gunpoint,” Hinkle said.
“I know there’s no words to express the pain that I put y’all through,” Hinkle told Blakney’s family, adding “I had love for Dajuan.”
Dansie said Hinkle was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the shooting.
“It was the brutal murder of a totally defenseless person who was sitting on the stoop of their house,” Judge Park said.
Judge Park acknowledged Hinkle’s expression of remorse, but sentenced Hinkle to 21 years based on his failure to reform and the impact on the victim’s family. After release, Hinkle will serve five years under supervised release and will have to register as a gun offender.
