‘Just A Matter of Time Before They Killed Me,’ Says Defendant Sentenced to Sixteen Years

By Yessica Osorio [former] - November 12, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein sentenced a homicide defendant to 16 years in prison on Nov. 8.

John Dickens, 47, was originally charged with second-degree murder while armed for his involvement in the fatal shooting of 41-year-old Kelvin Hamlett on Nov. 12, 2023, on the 1500 block of Benning Road, NE. Hamlett was left in his burning car and suffered a gunshot wound to the chest.

Dickens accepted a plea deal July 3, in which he pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed, in exchange to not be indicted on greater charges.

During sentencing, the prosecution asked for Dickens to be sentenced to 19 years, as this was the maximum sentence that was included in the plea agreement. Under DC law, the maximum sentence for the crime is 30 years.

The prosecution claimed that Dickens has shown no remorse, arguing that accepting a plea deal doesn’t indicate acknowledging responsibility.

Dickens’ defense attorney, Kevann Gardner, told the Court that the prosecution has no clue of the actual facts, stating that their conclusions are primarily based on surveillance videos from the incident. Gardner asked for Dickens to be sentenced for ten-and-a-half years.

According to Gardner, Dickens was in an altercation with Hamlett’s best friend two days prior to the shooting. As a result the best friend told Dickens that he would kill him. The day after the altercation, both Hamlett and his best friend drove by Dickens home and allegedly stared at Dickens. 

On the day of the incident, according to Dickens and Gardner, Hamlett had called out the defendant’s name. Dickens stated that it seemed Hamlett was making a hand movement as if he was going to shoot him. Dickens panicked and shot him.

Dickens apologized to Hamlett’s family, and stated that he did not intend to kill him. As he read from a yellow note, he stated to the Court that “..[it was] just a matter of time before [Hamlett and his best friend] killed me.”

Judge Epstein sentenced Dickens to 16 years in prison, with five years of supervised release. Dickens will need to register as a gun offender.

No further dates have been set.