DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro denied the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) for a shooting defendant after hearing arguments from the prosecution and defense at a July 17 sentencing.
Xavier Anderson, 23, pleaded guilty on April 8 to aggravated assault, for his involvement in a shooting, on the 600 block of Galveston Street, SE on July 11, 2025.
As part of the plea deal, parties agreed to a sentence of four years in prison with three years of supervised release, which Judge Di Toro agreed with at sentencing. However, whether Anderson would be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) remained at issue.
The YRA is a law in DC law that allows courts more flexibility when sentencing individuals who commit a crime under the age of 25. The statute allows judges’ to sentence defendants below the mandatory minimums and for their conviction to be sealed upon successful completion of sentencing requirements.
The prosecution opposed the YRA for Anderson. The prosecution informed Judge Di Toro that Anderson had already received a sentence under the YRA five years prior but violated the terms.
The prosecution said that Anderson’s actions in the shooting demonstrated an escalation since his previous YRA sentence was for a robbery. They added that Anderson displayed issues complying with court orders by failing his supervision requirements for a 2025 misdemeanor.
Prosecutors further emphasized the severity of the shooting by playing CCTV footage of the incident. They argued that the victims were not a threat to Anderson and stated they would have argued for a longer sentence if they were not concerned about evidence issues like securing witnesses for trial.
The prosecution also read an impact statement from the victim where she shared that her sense of “peace and normalcy” was taken away as a result of the emotional trauma from the incident. She also noted the severe physical pain she experienced.
The prosecution noted that the victim needed surgery to remove bullet fragments that still caused her severe pain months later.
Thomas Lester, Anderson’s attorney, argued why Anderson deserved a second chance at the YRA.
Letser argued that Anderson is now an older and a more mature man than he was when he first was sentenced under the YRA. Lester told the court that Anderson had no stable home growing up and was “bounced around” from different family members before being “abandoned.”
As a result, Lester said that Anderson raised himself in the streets starting at around age 13. According to Lester this, non-unexpectedly led to a warped view of how to function in the world.
Despite his history, Lester argued his client still has many redeeming qualities and “skills that are wonderful.” Lester also emphasized that while an intellectual assessment of Anderson showed some shortcomings, these could be explained by a lack of education which Anderson has worked to rectify by receiving his GED.
After hearing both arguments, Judge Di Toro agreed to the sentence. In addition, she ruled against a YRA sentence, noting that this is “among the most serious crimes” she presides over in her courtroom.
However, Judge Di Toro said she would require Anderson to complete 90 hours community service on release that is required as part of the YRA. Judge Di Toro said she ordered this in accordance with previous case law that allows defendants to petition the court for retroactive sentencing under the YRA if they successfully complete all the requirements.
Additionally, Anderson will be required to complete a substance use assessment and any required treatment, as well as a job readiness program upon release.
No further dates were scheduled.
