Defendant Accepts Plea Deal In Fatal Shooting Case

By Betty Yigebahal [former] , Grace Nardei [former] - February 9, 2024
Homicides | Shooting |

On Feb 9, D.C. Superior Court Judge Marisa J. Demeo accepted a plea agreement for a murder defendant.

Brandon Smith, 38, was originally charged with second-degree murder while armed for his involvement in the fatal shooting of 44-year old Charles Stanton on July 4, 2023. The incident occurred on the unit block of Patterson Street, NE.

According to court documents, Smith shot Stanton from his car while Stanton was riding his bike. Detectives later found the murder weapon inside a toilet tank, and the shirt Smith was wearing at the time of the shooting in his residence.

At the hearing, Smith accepted a deal from prosecutors which required he plead guilty to second-degree murder while armed, in exchange for the prosecution not seeking an indictment. In the agreement, parties agreed to a sentencing range of 18-to-22 years of incarceration.  According to the DC Code the maximum penalty is 40 years.

According to the prosecution, had the case gone to trial, they would have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Smith intentionally shot and killed Stanton while armed with a gun, and was not acting in self-defense.

Sentencing is scheduled to occur on April 26.