Judge Sentences 20 Year Old to 65 years in Prison

By D.C. Witness Staff - January 7, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

On Jan. 4, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge sentenced a murder defendant to 65 years in prison for fatally shooting two individuals within one year of each other. According to the prosecution, the defendant has a history of violence dating back to preschool.

In March 2018, a jury convicted Maurice Bellamy of two counts of first-degree murder while armed, robbery, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Bellamy, 20, is responsible for the deaths of 30-year-old Arthur Baldwin on the 4700 block of 1st Street, SW in 2015 and 15-year-old Davonte Washington at the Deanwood Metro Station in 2016.

Judge Juliet McKenna sentenced Bellamy to 30 years in prison for Baldwin’s death and 35 years for Washington’s death. “I think that’s warranted given the nature of the crimes,” Judge McKenna said. 

During the hearing, Baldwin’s father read a story about God seeking justice for a grieving family who lost their son. The father spoke about his son’s accomplishments noting that Baldwin graduated from Howard University and became a secret service agent.

“Your life will go on and you’ll live out your years,” Baldwin’s father said addressing the defendant. “My boy won’t.”

While holding her infant son, Washington’s mother addressed the court saying Washington never got the opportunity to meet his younger brother. She said her son was respectful and didn’t deserve to have his life cut short.

“He will never see past 15 and that’s not fair,” Washington’s mother said. “I’m here for justice.”

According to the prosecution, regardless of the verdict, Bellamy still refuses to take responsibility for his actions. Apparently, Bellamy said he wasn’t there when Baldwin was killed and that someone is “pinning” the murder on him. Bellamy also said Washington’s death was an accident, that he was high and thought Washington was someone else when he fired the gun.

The prosecution said Bellamy, who was 17 years old at the time of the murder, was violent his whole life. Apparently, the defendant has been involved in several physical confrontations since preschool. The prosecution noted that since he’s been incarcerated, Bellamy has four new pending cases stemming from assaulting inmates and jail personnel.

“He’s dangerous and he needs to be locked up for the rest of his life,” the prosecutor said adding that she doubts Bellamy can be rehabilitated. According to the prosecution, Bellamy’s mother has tried to get him help through counseling and intervention.

The defense refuted the prosecution’s notion that Bellamy could not be rehabilitated. Bellamy’s defense attorney, Steven Kiersh, told the judge that the defendant was not “irredeemable by any means” and that “he can be a functional, productive and hopefully a law-abiding citizen.”

Kiersh said Bellamy plans to appeal the sentence.