DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson sentenced a fatal shooting defendant to 19-and-a-half years on March 27.
Maleek Thomas, 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed and assault with a dangerous weapon on Dec. 2, 2025, for his involvement in the fatal shooting of Melvin Dock Jr., 23, on Oct. 30, 2023, on the 4300 block of Halley Terrace, SE. A second victim was also injured in the shooting.
As part of the plea deal, the prosecution agreed to limit their total sentence request to 25 years of incarceration.
“He deserved time, he deserved a future,” Dock’s mother said at Thomas’ sentencing. She told Judge Dayson that her only son’s murder continues to affect her every day. She said that no outcome in the case will bring her son back, or the future he lost.
Dock’s father said he appreciates that Thomas took responsibility for his actions, but that doesn’t take away the pain. “My son didn’t deserve to die,” he said and asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence of 25 years.
The prosecution argued that Thomas has shown no recognition, acknowledgment, or remorse for killing Dock. They said Judge Dayson must take into account deterrence and punishment when deciding the sentence and asked for Thomas to serve 25 years. They argued that if this case had gone to trial, Thomas likely would have received life in prison.
Thomas’ attorney, Howard McEachern, asked for a sentence of 17-and-a-half years. He highlighted that Thomas was 21 at the time of the incident and has no prior convictions for crimes of violence.
McEachern said that Thomas had a three year friendship with Dock, and did not intend to kill him. According to previous hearings, Thomas and Dock were attempting an armed carjacking when Thomas started firing in a panic and hit two victims, unintentionally killing Dock. At sentencing, McEachern said that part of Thomas’s punishment is having to live with the knowledge that he accidentally took his friend’s life.
Thomas spoke directly to the court, saying he takes full responsibility for his actions. He apologized to Dock’s parents and said that he did not mean to kill their son. Thomas said he plans to give back to the community and help the youth upon his release.
Judge Dayson said she believes Thomas is sad and remorseful, but is less convinced that he understands his own culpability. She said that Thomas created a dangerous situation that had a tragic outcome.
She sentenced Thomas to 15-and-a-half years imprisonment for second degree-murder while armed and four years for assault with a dangerous weapon. These sentences will run consecutively, followed by three years supervised release. Thomas will be required to register as a gun offender in DC upon his release.
No further dates were set.
