DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced two co-defendants at a hearing on Feb. 13 for their roles in a 2020 non-fatal shooting.
On Nov. 20, 2025, Daniel Cary, 31, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for his involvement in a July 22, 2020 shooting that injured a woman on the 4000 block of 1st Street, SE. Likewise, Chantel Stewart, 34, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to assault with a dangerous weapon and was previously convicted of threatening to kidnap or injure in connection to the shooting.
According to court documents, Stewart drove Cary to the scene. Judge Brandt noted that the victim said Stewart warned her “he’s about to shoot you” moments before the shooting occurred, allowing her to drive away. Cary exited a vehicle and fired multiple shots as she fled. The victim was struck in the back, crashed near a hospital entrance, and, despite bleeding heavily, managed to get inside for help. She underwent three surgeries. Stewart later failed to cooperate with police.
The victim was unavailable to provide an impact statement to the court.
Prosecutors asked for sentences at the top of the guidelines for both defendants. They argued Cary endangered not only the victim but the broader community by firing multiple shots in a residential area, and did not accept responsibility until after a jury trial on assault with intent to kill while armed ended in a hung jury.
For Stewart, prosecutors pointed to her lack of cooperation with the Metropolitan Police Department’s (MPD) investigation after the shooting, alleging she lied about driving the vehicle, failed to contact police, and responded dismissively when contacted by the victim’s sister. They also recommended anger management classes based on her arrest history.
Stewart’s defense attorney, Jesse Winograd, urged the court to impose a sentence at the bottom of the guidelines. He argued Stewart faced a difficult choice in deciding whether to accept a plea that would send her and her ex-boyfriend to prison, while also dealing with the breakdown of a close friendship with the victim. He said she has changed since the incident and that the case had been prolonged by delays. Stewart told the court she felt bad for the situation and the strain it caused her family.
Cary’s defense attorney, Alvin Thomas, asked for the five-year mandatory minimum sentence to run concurrently. He said Cary had been in negotiations for a “wired” plea agreement for a long time but did not initially plead guilty because Stewart did not want to accept the deal. Wired plea agreements require all defendants to accept it in order for it to be valid.
Thomas described Cary as quiet and remorseful, employed in construction, and living with his mother. He emphasized this was Cary’s first felony conviction.
In a letter read by his attorney, Cary apologized to the victim and her family, writing that jail had changed him and that he now understands how one bad decision can drastically alter lives.
Judge Brandt said she did not interpret Cary’s reserved demeanor as a lack of remorse. While acknowledging that both defendants appeared to have experienced trauma, she emphasized the seriousness of the offense and the lasting impact on the victim. She reflected on the victim’s resilience in driving herself to the hospital after being shot.
Brandt sentenced Stewart to one year of incarceration, suspended, and three years of supervised release, suspended, with one year of probation for accessory after the fact, requiring completion of a conflict resolution class. On the threatening conviction, she imposed one year of incarceration, suspended, and three years of supervised release, suspended, with one year of probation, to run concurrently. Stewart must pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund for each count.
Brandt sentenced Cary to nine years of imprisonment on the aggravated assault charge, followed by three years of supervised release, and five years on the firearm charge, followed by three years of supervised release, to run concurrently. He must pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund for each count and register as a gun offender in DC upon release.
No further dates were set.
