A defense attorney requested the minimum sentence for a carjacking defendant carjacking during a sentencing hearing before D.C. Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe on July 18.
Daquan Jackson, 28, was convicted of unarmed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The charges stemmed from a March 3 incident on the 1000 block of H Street NE, in which Jackson attempted to take a scooter from the victim.
The prosecution requested that Jackson receive 36 months of incarceration with three years of supervised release. They stated that police were stopped at a red light when the incident occurred and were able to intervene before the carjacking was completed.
Prosecutors also said Jackson has not been compliant with conditions of release in the past. In 2018, he was charged with escaping federal custody in U.S. District Court for refusing to return to a halfway house while on probation.
Jackson’s defense attorney, Sarah Kopecki, asked Judge Pipe to impose the minimum sentence of 18 months of incarceration with three years of supervised release. She said Jackson lacked parental care during his upbringing and recently witnessed the killing of a close childhood friend, but the combination of this case and other charges has struck a chord with him.
Kopecki argued that, if Jackson were released, she believed he would abide by his conditions of release. She cited his cooperation with the court in another case, in which he testified before the grand jury, and the support he receives from his fiancée, who was present in the courtroom.
Jackson apologized for his actions and thanked his fiancée for her support.
Judge Pipe stated that this was not the worst case she had presided over, noting that the victim was never fully pushed off the scooter. However, she expressed concern over Jackson’s extensive criminal history. She sentenced him to 24 months of incarceration with three years of supervised release and ordered him to pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crimes Fund.
