DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz sentenced a fatal shooting defendant to 18 years imprisonment on July 24.
Tyree Irving, 29, was sentenced for second-degree murder while armed. The charges stem from his involvement in the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Davane Williams on Jan. 15, 2019 on the 1200 block of North Capitol Street, NW. Williams sustained multiple gunshot wounds.
Irving pleaded guilty on Feb. 2. Under the plea agreement, the murder charge was reduced from first-degree, and four other charges were dismissed. The plea agreement also mandated a sentence between 18-and-21 years, subject to Judge Kravitz’s approval at sentencing.
At the sentencing, the prosecution asked for 21 years, while Irving’s defense attorneys, Andrew Ain and Joseph McCoy, requested 18 years.
Judge Kravitz sentenced Irving to 18 years. Irving will be credited for the seven-and-a-half years he’s already served since his arrest, thus he has ten-and-a-half years imprisonment remaining. Irving also faces five years of supervised release after his sentence and must register as a gun offender in DC.
Judge Kravitz said he will recommend that the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BoP) place Irving at a facility that has grief counseling and is as close to DC as possible.
Williams’ father spoke at the sentencing. He appeared remotely, explaining that facing the defendant in-person would’ve been too painful.
“Davane was a caring and respectful young man,” with “a promising future and many goals,” Williams’ father said.
The father requested the “strongest sentence allowed by law.”
The prosecution noted how long ago the murder occurred, and how much has changed since. The case and circumstances may seem like “ancient history,” they said, but urged the court to “individualize” this case and remember that Williams’ death is still fresh for the family.
The prosecution also referenced Irving’s criminal history, and claimed he committed this offense less than 50 days after being released from jail for an unrelated offense. Every crime has been more severe than the last, they contended.
McCoy mentioned that Irving’s family was present in the courtroom. He also explained that Irving has successfully completed various programs in jail, including drug programs and a financial literacy course.
Irving spoke to Williams’ father at the end of the sentencing.
“Hopefully in the future you can forgive me,” Irving said.
There are no further hearings scheduled in this case.
