At a sentencing before DC Superior Court Judge Andrea Hertzfeld on Sept. 22, both the prosecution and defense highlighted a carjacking defendant’s acceptance of responsibility.
Leepoy Kelly, 34, pleaded guilty on July 16 to unauthorized use of a vehicle and simple assault. The charges stem from his involvement in the carjacking of his then-girlfriend on June 7, at a Shell gas station, at the 4700 block of South Capitol Street, SE.
The prosecution and defense both asked for a sentence of suspended time in favor of probation. The prosecutor pointed out that Kelly took full responsibility for his actions and should be commended for that.
Kelly’s attorney, Teresa Kleiman, agreed that Kelly feels genuine remorse. She highlighted that due to the relationship between the defendant and the victim, this is not a typical case. According to court documents, Kelly and the victim have known each other for ten years and have an eight-year-old daughter.
According to the defense, the incident began as an argument between the two while pumping gas, after which Kelly drove off in the vehicle. When his then-girlfriend called the police, she knew he would only have gone to one of their parents’ houses.
Kleiman mentioned that Kelly might benefit from counseling. She said when thinking about life events introspectively, he is very insightful when it comes to conflicts.
When asked if he would like to speak, Kelly told Judge Hertzfeld, “I take full accountability for what I did, I apologize to my family and my girlfriend’s family,” adding “I feel embarrassed, it will never happen again.”
Judge Hertzfeld told Kelly she would suspend his sentence if he agreed to follow supervised probation while taking anger management courses and regular drug tests. The judge also imposed a stay-away order between Kelly and the victim for all contact except co-parenting during his probation.
Kleiman said Kelly would live with his father under the guidelines of going back to work, staying off drugs, and allowing his father to foster a relationship with his daughter.
Judge Hertzfeld did not impose mental health treatment, but told Kelly he could pursue that on his own.
Kelly was sentenced to 14 months in prison for unauthorized use of a vehicle and 180 days for simple assault, with the entire sentence suspended in favor of one year of probation. He was also ordered to pay $150 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund.
No further dates were set.
