‘I Don’t Think You Went in Thinking You Were Going To Kill Your Friend,’ Says Judge at Sentencing

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DC Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe sentenced a homicide defendant to 13 years with five years of supervised release at a July 12 hearing.

Jordan Jones, 23, was originally charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a convict, for his involvement in the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Noel Nicol on Oct. 11, 2021, on the 2000 block of Savannah Place, SE.

On Dec. 5, 2023, Jones accepted an offer that required him to plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed, in exchange for a dismissal of all other charges. Through the deal, parties agreed to a sentencing range of ten-to-13 years of imprisonment.

At the hearing, Jones provided a statement before Judge O’Keefe in which he took full responsibility for his actions and said he was sorry.

The prosecution requested a sentence of 13 years, due to Jones’ admission and the nature of the incident.

Jones’ attorney, Todd Baldwin, requested that the court sentence Jones to ten years. Baldwin read a message of support from a longtime friend emphasizing that Jones “had a long hard life, yet kept” goodness “bound to his soul.”

The friend urged the shorter sentence, stressing that Jones dealt with severe difficulties growing up, writing that he had been shuffled among 51 foster homes.

Judge O’Keefe noted that the plea was extremely favorable and he was smart to take it. After hearing both sides Judge O’Keefe remarked that the “way this reads to me, and I was a defense attorney for a long time, was like a robbery gone bad someone ended up dead.”

Judge O’Keefe told Jones, “I don’t think you went in thinking you were going to kill your friend,” but “you took another person’s life because you wanted to rob them.”

Jones was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment, with five years of supervised release and the additional requirement that Jones register as a gun offender.