Judge Imposes Additional Time to Convicted Murderer’s Sentence

By Christopher Sivak [former] - April 10, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

During a sentencing hearing on April 7, DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun added additional prison time to a defendant in a murder case.

Lamonte MacDonald, 22, was initially charged with second-degree murder while armed for shooting Malachi Yisrael, 43, on July 5, 2017, on the 300 block of 50th Street, NE. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter 2017.

On Friday, the prosecutor said he wanted MacDonald to serve the entirety of his sentence. He said that MacDonald shows no remorse for his actions, did not comply with probation, and still poses a danger to the community.

According to court documents, MacDonald shot at Yisrael eleven times before eventually killing him.

Defense attorney Pierce Suen said that MacDonald was 16 at the time of the murder and that rehabilitation would have been better than jail time due to MacDonald’s drug addiction. 

Suen also said a 20 month additional sentence would not help MacDonald and that he has not been arrested for a violent crime since. 

MacDonald explained even though he made mistakes while on release, he tried to do everything he was supposed to do. 

Judge Okun said that he will not impose the full 20 months, but instead only added six months to MacDonald’s sentence.