Judge Sentences 21 Year Old To 40 Years In Prison for Murder

By Alesar Harfoush [former] - March 1, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

After the victim’s family gave their impact statement, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced the defendant to 10 years above the mandatory minimum.  

Twenty-one year-old Malik Holston was found guilty by the jury of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and carrying a pistol without a license on Nov. 2, 2022. The charges are in connection to the murder of 15-year-old Gerald Watson on the 2900 block of Knox Place, SE on Dec. 13, 2018. 

On March 1, Judge Brandt sentenced Holston to 40 years in prison with 5 years supervised release. Holston will be required to register as a gun offender when released.  

Defense attorney Shawn Sukumar attempted to convince the court that it was possible to sentence Holston under the mandatory minimum due to the fact that he was 16 years old when he committed the crime. However, Judge Brandt did not tolerate the argument and stated that this will not be the case. The mandatory minimum sentence for first-degree murder in DC is 30 years. 

“I will give anything and everything, even my own life, to get my son back” Gerald’s mother said during the sentencing.  She said that she does not understand why he had to take her baby away from her. At the end of her statement she wished Holston mercy. 

Gerald’s older cousin spoke about how hard it has been on the family to lose Gerald. He stated that his 12-year-old nephew is always scared that he will not make it past 15 before he is killed just like Gerald. 

Gerald’s sister asked her cousin to read her statement. She wrote about how hard and traumatizing it was for her and her siblings to lose their brother. She told the judge that she is working on becoming a police officer, so she is able to protect people from gun violence since she was not able to protect her own brother. 

The prosecution asked the judge to sentence Holston to 10 years above the mandatory minimum sentence, saying this murder is different because every shot that was fired hit Gerald leaving no chance to save him. 

According to the prosecution, Holston was involved in violence for a long time before the shooting. The people who lived in the neighborhood heard gunshots every day and everyone who was involved with Holston had been killed, the prosecutor said. 

“Getting locked up saved your life,” said Judge Brandt to Holston  

Defense attorney Sukumar argued that just like Gerald, Holston was a child too when the shooting happened. 

He said the circumstance that Holston was surrounded with along with the violence that started before he was even born resulted in him being where he is today. He also said Holston is trying to do better by earning his GED while in jail and is now taking college courses.

Sukumar argued that the mandatory minimum would allow Holston to have the chance to start over once he gets out of jail. 

He also asked the judge to recommend that Holston be held at  minimum security prison Beckley in West Virginia where he would be able to participate in the BRAVE program. The program is a violence prevention program for young African American males. 

Judge Brandt offered her deep condolences to the victim’s family and wished them comfort, and told Holston that she hopes he will continue to exhibit the same behavior during his time in prison as he has in jail.  

“Today justice was served for my son,” Gerald’s mother told D.C Witness.