DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced a stabbing defendant to 10 years in prison on March 6.
On Jan. 10, Kenneth Garner, 34, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed for his involvement in the stabbing of an individual on Jan. 17, 2023, inside an apartment complex on the 700 block of Brandywine Street, SE. One individual sustained life-threatening injuries during the incident, and Garner sustained an injury to his hand.
During the hearing, prosecutors requested Judge Brandt sentence Garner to 13 years in prison, citing the seriousness of the offense and the severity of the victims injuries. According to the prosecution, the victim sustained 10 stab wounds, including damage to internal organs.
Prosecutors deemed this incident “a particularly disturbing and violent attack, seemingly done without provocation.” In surveillance footage shown to the court, Garner can be seen speaking to the victim, at an apartment door, before he stabs him with an overhead motion multiple times. Prosecutors insisted the victim attempted to walk away from the situation, but Garner followed, chasing him out of the building.
“It is very fortunate that the victim is still alive,” the prosecutor exclaimed.
He told Judge Brandt the crime is concerning, but what is more concerning is Garner’s criminal history, which includes multiple assaultive convictions, including a manslaughter conviction in 2015 and an assault conviction for which he was released 10 days before the stabbing occurred.
According to the prosecution, this incident was “another instance where someone could have lost their life,” adding throughout the case, parties have had concerns with Garner’s extensive competency evaluations as well as his mental health and substance abuse issues.
“The community is not safe with the defendant in it,” the prosecutor told Judge Brandt, asking her to order the Bureau of Prisons (BoP) to provide resources that would help Garner rejoin the community when released.
However, the prosecution stated, “he did not avail himself to those services,” in the past. “The [prosecution] has an interest in the defendant receiving treatment,” he said.
Janai Reed, Garner’s defense attorney, agreed with the prosecution that “the safety of the community is a paramount concern,” requesting Judge Brandt to sentence Garner to 84 months of incarceration. Reed said she believes the BoP will be unable to provide the level of treatment Garner needs.
“Garner is a totally different person when he’s in a facility that affords him treatment,” Reed argued, stating the 84 months would be “a significant amount of time.”
Reed stated Garner’s condition when not taken care of is “not what we want in a civilized society, but we also don’t want to lock away people with mental illnesses.”
“I’d like for Mr. Garner to have the benefit of receiving treatment and becoming the best Kenneth Garner he can be,” Reed told Judge Brandt.
“I just wanna say I apologize for my actions or whatever,” Garner said, adding “I was paranoid, I was irritated, and I wasn’t on my meds.”
“I’ll take my meds and do my best,” he told Judge Brandt.
“Had Mr. Garner been on his medications there wouldn’t have been an incident,” Judge Brandt stated, adding that “a prison is not a conducive atmosphere for people with illnesses of his kind.”
“This is a matter of public safety,” Judge Brandt insisted. “Every time he’s in the community something happens that puts him back in the system and leaves a victim.”
Judge Brandt also ordered that when Garner is released he must go through the Reentry and Sanctions Center (RSC), participate in mental health and psychiatric evaluations to maintain his current regime, and pay $100 dollars to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund (VVCF).
“Good luck Mr. Garner… take your meds though,” Judge Brandt said.
No further dates were set.
