Defendant Sentenced in One Stabbing, Arraigned on Another

By Jeff Levine - September 4, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | stabbing | Suspects |

A stabbing defendant was sentenced in one case and formally charged in an almost identical assault during a Sept. 4 hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Erik Christian.

Shawn Dyson, 43, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection to an incident on the 3100 block of Mt. Pleasant Street, NW on Sept. 10, 2023.

He is also charged with a similar crime that took place days earlier on Aug. 29, 2023, on the 3000 block of 14th Street, NW. 

According to court documents, Dyson was engaged in verbal arguments that resulted in stabbings on both occasions.  

In the September case, according to court documents, Dyson was in an angry encounter with a woman he called a “bitch” when a man approached and tried to intervene.  At that point, Dyson was said to follow the individual then stab him in the head behind his right ear.  

During the August attack, according to a police report, Dyson was also engaged in an argument with an individual “over an unknown reason.” He then allegedly chased the victim into the middle of the street, slashing his upper left arm causing him to bleed profusely.

During the proceeding, Dyson’s attorney, Sharon Weathers, asked Judge Christian to sentence Dyson for the September charges to the minimum terms recommended under the voluntary sentencing guidelines of 24 months for each count, which would be served concurrently.  

Weathers said that Dyson is motivated to find work and has a relatively clean record for past convictions.

However, the prosecutor argued that a total of 80 months incarceration for both charges was punishment that would fit the crime.

After stabbing the first victim, the prosecutor said Dyson turned his attention to the woman that was the initial object of his anger, “brandishing a bloody knife at the victim and threatening her.” 

Further, said the prosecutor, Dyson exhibited “a lack of accountability” for the last two decades.  

Judge Christian said the victim almost bled out, and it was “fortunate [he] wasn’t killed.”

Going beyond the prosecution’s recommendation, Judge Christian sentenced Dyson to 84 month in prison. Dson is set to serve 60 months on the first count and 24 months on the second count of assault with a dangerous weapon, the two terms are slated to run consecutively.  

He also imposed three years of supervised release, in addition to paying $200 into the Victims of Violent Crime Fund.

Further, Dyson must comply with an intervention program that includes cognitive therapy and anger management.

Following the sentencing Dyson was indicted for the Aug. 23 assault to which he pleaded not guilty and demanded his constitutional right to a speedy trial.

The next hearing in the case is set for Oct. 1 before Judge Christian.