DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park informed a homicide defendant about her right to an insanity defense before she accepted a plea deal on April 8.
Kayla Brown, 24, was originally charged with negligent homicide, unarmed carjacking, and unauthorized use of a vehicle for her involvement in a fatal car crash at MedStar Washington Hospital Center on the 100 block of Irving Street, NW on June 3, 2024. After leaving the hospital, Brown stole a car with 55-year-old Leslie Gaines still inside and crashed it, resulting in Gaines’ death.
Brown accepted a deal that required her to plead guilty to negligent homicide and unauthorized use of a vehicle. In exchange, the prosecution dropped all other charges. Brown will face a maximum of 5 years imprisonment.
An Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) from the DC United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) was a witness in the case. As a result, a prosecutor from the USAO for the Southern District of West Virginia handled the matter.
Court documents state that, on the day of the carjacking, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers responded to a 911 call from Brown’s parents, who said Brown had been acting in a crazy manner since taking an unknown drug three days earlier. An officer accompanied Brown in an ambulance to the hospital.
According to court documents, Gaines’ daughter called MPD officers to MedStar Washington Hospital Center approximately an hour and a half later. Gaines’ daughter told them she left her mother in the car with the motor running outside the emergency room while seeking help to bring her mother inside. When she returned, looking for the car, it was gone.
The prosecutor claimed that had the case gone to trial, they would have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Brown used a car without permission and crashed it, directly resulting in Gaines’ death.
Judge Park ensured Brown understood the rights she gave up by entering into a plea agreement. He also confirmed Brown understood that if the case went to trial, she could use insanity as a defense and claim that at the time of the incident, she was unable to differentiate right from wrong.
He also explained that Brown entered an Alford Plea, where she maintained her innocence, but admitted the prosecution had enough evidence to likely convict her at trial. Judge Park explained that while Brown will maintain her innocence, he will sentence her as if she is guilty.
After Judge Park was satisfied she understood the rights she gave up, he accepted Brown’s guilty plea.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene for sentencing on Oct. 2.
