DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan sentenced a murder defendant to 20 years in prison on July 28.
Charles Best, 28, pleaded guilty on April 17 to second-degree murder while armed and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
The victim, Darius Robinson, 35, was the romantic partner of Best’s cousin. Robinson was shot six times. The murder occurred on Feb. 18, 2024, at the 1600 block of Rosedale St, NE.
Judge Ryan explained that because the case was resolved through a guilty plea rather than a trial, he had a limited amount of evidence to review–namely, an acknowledgment of guilt by Best and a short proffer of facts from prosecutors.
The facts indicate Best shot Robinson before leaving a family gathering, not for defensive purposes, but rather to protect his cousin from what he believed was domestic abuse. However there is no evidence to support the claim. Megan Allburn, Best’s attorney, acknowledged this was an “overreaction.”
Judge Ryan, however, did have access to supplemental materials submitted by both parties before imposing Best’s sentence. They included letters from Best and Robinson’s families, a certificate of completion in the Georgetown University rehabilitation program, and a pre-sentence report from the Community Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA).
The prosecutor asked Judge Ryan to impose the maximum sentence permitted under the 11c1C agreement, which is a sentencing agreement between the parties subject to the judge’s approval.
Best’s 11c1C agreement limited Judge Ryan to a sentence between 14-to-20 years in prison.
The prosecution also presented Judge Ryan with a 911 call and three victim impact statements from Robinson’s family.
In addition, the prosecution read two of the victims’ impact statements from Robinson’s sister and his now six-year-old daughter.
Robinson’s sister asked the court to “consider the lasting impacts of our family.”
While his daughter asked Best, “Why did you kill my daddy?” “Why couldn’t you be his friend?”
The final victim impact statement was read aloud by Robinson’s cousin, where she said “There is no way justice can be served if he gets less than 20 years.” She added that, “20 years is already a slap in the face to our family.”
The prosecution acknowledged that Best accepted responsibility for the shooting but argued that the circumstances still warranted the maximum agreed-upon sentence of 20 years. They noted that Robinson was shot in the head, neck, and back six times while he was seated at a table. The prosecutors argued Best’s actions after the shooting, such as disposing of the firearm and his jacket, demonstrated his initial effort to avoid responsibility.
“No matter what the court imposes today, he will be out in society one day,” said the prosecution.
In response, Allburn expressed to the court the “sincere remorse” Best had for the incident.
“He wants to accept everything the court will impose and then do everything he can to better himself,” said Allburn.
When Best was given an opportunity to address the court, he said he “genuinely apologized for the pain I caused.” Then he addressed his children saying he “apologized for being an embarrassment.” Best said he hoped one day they would welcome him back into their lives.
Allburn then requested the court impose the lowest agreed-upon sentence of 14 years.
Judge Ryan acknowledged the Georgetown University programs Best had taken part in to “better himself,” but reiterated that he could not speculate on the facts, and only use what he knew to be true, that Best shot Robinson with “no justification.”
“When you sit where I sit, you try not to speculate,” said Judge Ryan. Later adding, “I don’t know what happened, but I know what the result was,” before delivering his sentence.
Judge Ryan accepted the binding plea agreement and sentenced Best to 20 years in prison, with credit for approximately two years already served, followed by five years of supervised release. He also ordered Best to receive mental health treatment and register as a gun offender.
No further dates were set.
