Case Acquitted: Homicide Defendant Sentenced to 24 Months For Illegal Carry of a Pistol 

By Aubree Tomasetti [former] - October 23, 2023
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

Green was acquitted of the murder charge on Aug. 24, 2023.

On Oct. 20, DC Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo sentenced a homicide defendant to 24 months in connection to a 2020 shooting. 

Tamika Green, 37, was acquitted of second-degree murder and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for the death of 37-year-old Bryan Tate Jr. on Feb. 20, 2020 in an apartment on the 1600 block of 18th Street, SE. However, Green was found guilty of carrying a pistol without a license. 

The prosecution requested the higher end of the sentencing guidelines, which would have the court enact a harsher penalty than what is typically recommended. According to the DC Sentencing Commission’s 2019 annual report,” “[T]he median sentence for Carrying a Pistol without a License was 10 months and probation was imposed in more than half the sentences.” However, almost all felons convicted on gun crimes did jail time, according to the report.

Prosecutors argued Green’s possession of a firearm resulted in the loss of someone’s life stating, “There are five children who are now going to grow up without their father.” 

Green’s defense attorneys, Kevann Gardner and Hannah Claudio, countered saying this was the first time Green had been convicted of a crime.

Gardner said, “Probation is the only appropriate sentence in this case,” stating that Green has been detained since her arrest on Sept. 10, 2021.  

Green declined to address the court. 

Prior to sentencing, Judge Demeo acknowledged she was considering Green’s previous arrests and pending charges of simple assault and attempted possession of a prohibited weapon in an unrelated matter. 

Judge Demeo sentenced Green to 24 months, with credit for time served while she remains in custody.

In addition, Green must serve three years on supervised release, register as a gun offender, and pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund. 

Judge Demeo recommended Green receive mental health and substance abuse treatment as well as grief and anger management counseling.