Judge Sentences Co-defendants for Fatal Shooting

By D.C. Witness Staff - August 14, 2018
Court | Homicides | Suspects |

A DC Superior Court judge sentenced Aug. 13 three co-defendants for fatally shooting an innocent bystander in 2015.

Andre Dudley, Christopher Proctor and Marcus King were sentenced after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon for killing  Matthew Shlonsky, 23, at the intersection of 7th Street and S Street, NW. Dudley, 22, also pled guilty to an unrelated charge of attempted assault with a dangerous weapon after stabbing a DC Jail inmate in May.

According to the prosecution, Proctor, 28, and King, 22, argued with Dudley before engaging in a gunfight on a Sunday afternoon near the exit of the Shaw-Howard University Metro Station.

Judge Juliet McKenna said she believed the prosecution had taken into account the seriousness of the defendants’ reckless behavior, their criminal records, their ages, the need to affix the appropriate penalty for the crime, the obligation to deter others from committing the same offense and the impact the shooting had on the surviving victims. Therefore, she accepted the plea agreements.

While discussing Shlonsky’s death, Judge McKenna described the trio’s actions as “reckless conduct in a highly populated area, which resulted in the senseless death of Mr. Shlonsky.” According to the prosecution, there were 10 adults and five children present at the time of the shooting. Shlonsky was the only person injured from the shooting. 

Shlonsky’s parents were not in attendance at the sentencing. “We do not want to be in the same building as the men that killed Matthew,” the parents told the judge in a letter. 

During his impact statement, Shlonsky’s former college roommate said his friend’s death “resulted from the mercy repeatedly shown” to the defendants. According to court records, Dudley and Proctor have multiple prior convictions in DC, including convictions for violent offenses.

Dudley and King remained silent throughout the sentencing; however, Proctor addressed the court to apologize.

“I take full responsibility for my actions and I apologize,” he said.

Dudley was sentenced to 18.5 years of incarceration for the shooting, followed by 22 months for the unrelated assault. He received a total sentence of 20 years and four months in prison.

Proctor was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Kevin Mosley, King’s defense attorney, requested King be sentenced under DC’s Youth Rehabilitation Amendment Act. However, Judge McKenna denied the request based on reports from the jail that state King‘s behavior created safety concerns. Judge McKenna sentenced King to 17.5 years in prison.

Following their prison terms, the defendants will be placed on five years of supervised release.

During their incarceration, the men will undergo mental health evaluations, take drug tests, and participate in educational and vocational training programs. King is also required to obtain a GED or high school diploma while he is incarcerated.