A jail stabbing defendant pleaded guilty before DC Superior Court Judge Robert Salerno on March 30.
Darryl Vest, 22, was originally charged with assault with a dangerous weapon for his involvement in a stabbing that took place at the DC Jail at the 1900 block of D Street, SE, on July 12, 2025. The victim sustained a puncture wound to the back of the head.
At the hearing, Vest’s attorney, Susan Ellis, alerted parties that Vest intended to plead guilty. Vest accepted a deal from the prosecutors that required him to plead guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and in return, they will not seek an indictment on any other charges.
The prosecution said that if the case had proceeded to trial, they would have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Vest assaulted the victim multiple times with a sharp object while both were incarcerated at the DC Jail. Vest confirmed that the facts of the case were accurate.
Judge Salerno accepted the plea agreement, noting that the maximum penalty for this offense is 10 years imprisonment.
Ellis alerted parties that she will be asking that her client be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA). The YRA is a sentencing alternative for defendants under 25, allowing the possibility for more lenient sentences or to have their convictions sealed upon successful completion of the sentencing requirements.
Parties are slated to reconvene on June 17 for sentencing.
