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By
James Watson
, --- staff --- - June 10, 2025
Carjacking
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Court
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Daily Stories
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Suspects
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DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced Donovan Adams to almost 90 months in prison for his involvement in a carjacking during a hearing on June 5.
On April 3, Adams, 31, pleaded guilty to unarmed carjacking, robbery and unauthorized use of a vehicle for his involvement in a Sept. 27, 2024 incident, which occurred on the 3700 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE.
During the hearing, the prosecution asked for a sentence at the top of the guidelines, pointing to the seriousness of the crimes and Adams’ prior convictions – which included robbery convictions in 2017 and 2018.
They identified the victim in this case as a 66-year-old woman who Adams repeatedly threatened with a gun, aiming at her stomach and face. According to the prosecution, the victim waived her right to provide a victim impact statement due to the ongoing trauma and difficulty speaking about the incident.
Alvin Thomas, Adams’ attorney, focused on Adams’ difficult circumstances and efforts to control his drug use. Thomas requested leniency in the ruling.
“I apologise for my actions,” said Adams, as Judge Di Toro asked him if he had any words before she delivered his sentence.
The judge admitted that Adams had faced hardship and that this could have influenced his criminal behavior and drug use. She was sorry to hear about the death of his daughter and expressed sympathy for his ongoing mental health issues and struggle to support his mother.
“You’ve clearly had a difficult road,” she said.
Di Toro gave Adams 70 months for the robbery charge with a $300 contribution to the Victim’s of Violent Crime Fund. This was followed by a current 70 months for possession of a firearm during a crime of violence with a donation of the same amount. Adams also has to serve 3 years supervised probation for each charge.
For the unauthorized use of a vehicle while under the influence of PCP, the judge added a further 20 months to be served concurrently to the other sentences.
No further dates were set.