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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- October 3, 2019
Court
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Daily Stories
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Homicides
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Victims
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A judge sentenced a murder defendant to three years in prison for stabbing a man during a dispute over a drug deal.
Frederick L. Nowlin pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for stabbing Andre Butler, 52, on the 900 block of Mount Olivet Road, NE on March 22, 2018. Nowlin was initialy charged with second-degree murder while armed. The 38-year-old stabbed the victim after a dispute over a drug deal involving cocaine. Apparently, Nowlin was on prohibition at the time for a prior non-violent crime.
DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman cited Nowlin’s willingness to take the plea deal instead of going to trial. Judge Edelman said it was a factor in his decision to accept the plea deal.
“I can see why the plea offer was offered,” Edelman said. “I can see how it is difficult for the prosecution to prove second-degree murder, there are mitigating factors.”
Judge Edelman sentenced Nowlin for manslaughter but not his probation violation. He said the violation was under the jurisdiction of DC Superior Court Judge Patricia Broderick.
Edelamn said Nowlin would serve time for manslaughter and the violation, separately. The sentence will also run consecutively to any other sentence the defendant has.
According to DC Courts, Nowlin will receive credit for time served.
“He has the utmost remorse, he understands the pain the victim’s son is going through” defense counsel, Mani Golzari, said.
According to Golzari, Nowlin made it clear early on that he did not want to take this case to trial.
Despite a “strong case” for self defense, Nowlin wanted to forgo that to accept responsibility for his actions, Golzari told the judge.
“My sincerest apologies to the family of the decedent, I didn’t even know him, things got out of hand so quickly,” Nowlin told the judge and other attendees, including members of his family.
Butler’s son wrote a victim impact statement which the prosecutor read. The son said he was not happy with the short amount of time Nowlin received from the plea deal. He said that mental health issues were no excuse for the defendant’s actions.
According to defense counsel, at the time of the murder, Nowlin was suffering from grief after losing his mother.
“There is a great irony in this case that the defendant, who lost his mother, has taken the life of the victim’s father,” the prosecution said.