Murder Defendant Pleads Guilty to Barcode Stabbing

By D.C. Witness Staff - October 4, 2018
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

During a status hearing Oct. 3, a murder defendant pleaded guilty to fatally stabbing one man and injuring another at a nightclub in downtown Washington, DC.

Antoine Byrd pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon for the stabbing death of 29-year-old Robinson Pal at Barcode, a club located on the 1100 block of 17th Street, NW, in 2016.

The prosecution said Byrd, 38, threatened Pal before the stabbing. “I’m going to kill you,” the prosecution said Byrd told Pal. The prosecution also noted that, during the fight, Byrd stabbed another man in his thumb.

According to the prosecution, Metropolitan Police Department officers found Pal lying on the floor suffering from an apparent stab wound to the chest. They also found a bloody knife lying on the floor near the decedent’s body.

Byrd was originally charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault with intent to kill while armed and aggravated assault while armed. Per the agreement, the prosecution agreed to drop Byrd’s first-degree murder charge and the additional assault charge. Byrd could serve 10-13 years in prison if DC Superior Court Judge Craig Iscoe accepts the plea.

Byrd is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2019.