DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe gave a shooting defendant a suspended sentence of nine months in prison and required him to serve one year of probation in a July 25 hearing.
Dayquan Henderson, 23, pleaded guilty on May 5 to unlawful discharge of a firearm and misdemeanor possession of an unregistered firearm for his involvement in a non-fatal shooting on the 300 block of Anacostia Road, SE, on May 11, 2024. No injuries were reported.
During the hearing, the prosecution acknowledged Henderson had no prior convictions but cited a substantial history of firearm-related arrests and multiple curfew violations while on pretrial release. They pushed for GPS monitoring and a five-year probation period.
Daniel Kovler, Henderson’s attorney, attributed the curfew breaches to minor delays returning from work and a single instance of Henderson’s helping his mother with groceries. Kovler argued that Henderson’s past arrests were irrelevant, since they never led to charges.
Kovler requested nine-month concurrent sentences for Henderson’s two charges, with one year of supervised probation. He asked that Henderson be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, a DC law designed to give individuals under the age of 25 a chance at rehabilitation rather than incarceration. It allows judges to impose lighter sentences and seal records in certain cases, if the defendant fulfills the court’s conditions.
Judge Pipe agreed the prior arrests were not relevant and acknowledged Henderson’s general compliance. She noted the incident occurred while Henderson’s family was under threat, although she emphasized he still acted inappropriately.
Judge Pipe sentenced Henderson under the Youth Act, specifying that his charges will be sealed if he completes 90 hours of community service. She gave him concurrent nine-month suspended sentences for his two charges.
Henderson must serve one year of probation, plus one day of supervised release for the charge of unlawful discharge of a firearm. He is not required to wear a GPS monitor, but he must register as a gun offender.
No further dates were set in this case.
