A murder defendant agreed to take a plea deal from the prosecution. Under the terms of the plea, the defendant could spend up to 10 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.
William Gallardo pleaded guilty to second-degree murder for his connection to the death of 22-year-old Noe Alberto Gallardo Ponce, who was found strangled, in a rowhouse on the 1600 block of New Jersey Avenue, NW on Nov. 26. Apparently, the two men were cousins and roommates.
Under the terms of the deal, all of Gallardo’s other charges, including obstruction of justice, solicitation of murder and assault on a police officer were dropped.
Under Washington, DC’s voluntary sentencing guidelines, second-degree murder hold a penalty of up to life imprisonment and up to a $250,000 fine.
DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz did not make a decision on the plea during the status hearing scheduled on Feb. 27. He said he wanted time to review the evidence.
A sentencing is scheduled to occur on April 22.
