Judge Sentences Defendant Above Mandatory Minimum 

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DC Superior Court Judge Milton Lee sentenced a defendant to 4-years of incarceration and 3-years of supervised release for a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.

On Jan. 23, 2020. Emanuel Talyor, 38, along with Stanley Brown, 29, were allegedly charged with first-degree murder in connection to a shooting on the 1600 block of F Street, NE. The shooting wounded Jimmy Beynum, 36, resulting in his death six days later. 

Taylor was sentenced by Judge Lee on Jan. 31. He pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in October of 2022. The agreement both parties settled on was a 3-5 years sentence and to drop two previous misdemeanor charges. 

Defense attorney Brandi Harden, on behalf of Taylor, tried to convince Judge Lee that Taylor should be sentenced to the mandatory minimum which is 3 years taking into consideration his work thus far while in jail participating in programs and working on bettering himself. 

The prosecution asked for 4.5 years of incarceration, reiterating Talyor’s criminal history and his multiple past firearm possession offenses. In addition, the prosecution linked Taylor to the homicide committed by Brown and his attempt to dispose of the firearm. 

Taylor begged Judge Lee continuously throughout the hearing to find it in his heart to give him another chance and sentence him to the 3 year mandatory minimum, saying prison is tough and he wants to be around his mother, 12-year-old daughter and people who love him.

 “I choose life, I choose life”, Taylor said. 

Judge Lee raised serious concerns about Taylor’s criminal history being more than 19 pages long, his many unlawful firearm possession offenses, and the chances he wasted in the past. 

“Gun violence is destroying everything good about the District of Columbia”, Judge Lee added. 

Judge Lee granted Harden’s request to make a recommendation for Talyor to be held in the Federal Correctional Institution Schuylkill in the state of Pennsylvania where he is closer to his family.   

“Seven-years? I do not get it man”, said Taylor as the marshal walked him out of the courtroom. 

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