Thank you for reading D.C. Witness.
Consider making a donation to help us continue our mission.
By
Laura Berol
- February 21, 2025
Carjacking
|
Court
|
Daily Stories
|
Suspects
|
DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced Marquise Butts on Feb. 21 to four years in prison for unarmed carjacking, with all but 18 months suspended, and two years in prison for robbery, with all but 18 months suspended. The sentences will run concurrently.
Butts, 18, was originally charged with armed carjacking and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his involvement in a carjacking on June 20, 2024, on the 1800 block of 9th Street, NW.
The prosecutor said Butts was one of five young men who intimidated a woman alone on the street late at night into turning over her keys to them. Butts was identified from surveillance video and from the GPS device he was wearing because he was under court supervision for a previous conviction.
Butts accepted a plea deal on Nov. 19, 2024, pleading guilty to unarmed carjacking and robbery. In exchange, the prosecution agreed to dismiss all other charges in the case and request concurrent sentences for the two charges.
The prosecutor asked Judge Di Toro to impose the maximum sentence indicated by the sentencing guidelines, based on Butts’ criminal history score of one–96 months’ imprisonment for carjacking and 66 months for robbery.
According to the prosecutor, Butts had two previous convictions for gun possession and admitted a gun was involved in the carjacking.
“Court supervision is no deterrent,” the prosecutor said. “The defendant has gone from merely defending himself to out-and-out attacking people.”
Richard Holliday, Jr., Butts’ attorney, disagreed that Butts admitted a gun was involved in the carjacking.
When Butts was interviewed for the presentence report, he said, “I didn’t pull no gun on nobody, but I was with the person who did it.” According to Holliday, Butts meant he was with the person who committed the carjacking.
Holliday also objected to the prosecutor’s description of Butts’ childhood. Holliday said the prosecutor made it sound like Butts didn’t face any unusual challenges, even though he was diagnosed with PTSD for being shot when he was 15.
“I have never gone through anything as difficult in my life as being shot 11 times as a 15-year-old,” Holliday said.
An education attorney asked Judge Di Toro to give Butts the minimum sentence possible under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA), which allows a young defendant’s conviction to be sealed if they successfully complete all sentencing requirements. She said the physical and psychological trauma Butts experienced affected his development.
“What comes next? What can interrupt that cycle?” Judge Di Toro asked.
The education attorney said young people can get back on course if they receive appropriate therapy.
“Prison is the least appropriate setting for that healing to happen and can actually entrench maladaptive behaviors,” she said.
The education attorney displayed a photo of Butts’ graduation from high school a week earlier. According to Holliday, Butts wants to attend college and become a chef.
Judge Di Toro sentenced Butts under the YRA, which allowed her to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum of seven years for unarmed carjacking.
In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Di Toro gave Butts 18 months of probation and a suspended sentence of three years of supervised release. She required him to pay $200 to the Victims of Violent Crime fund and register as a gun offender. Butts must complete 90 hours of community service, receive a mental health assessment and participate in any recommended treatment, and engage in vocational training or higher education.
No further dates were set.