Kenneth Rice sentenced for the murder of Dennis Wise

Thank you for reading D.C. Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.

Donate Now

On Friday, Kenneth Rice was sentenced to 9 years for the fatal stabbing of 51-year-old Dennis Wise in March.

At around 2 a.m. on March 11, police found Dennis Wise face down on a bed in a house in the 1800 block of Bruce Pl., SE. A few hours earlier police had arrived at the house to investigate an assault that was called in by Wise. Wise reported that he was assaulted by a man named “Kenneth.” When police arrived at the scene, the homeowner told officers that Kenneth Rice and Wise had gotten into a short fight over food and that it was over. When officers returned a short time later, Wise had stab wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Rice, 31, had been arrested for a burglary on V Street at the same time as the crime scene investigation for Wise’s murder. Once at the police department, Rice immediately asked for a lawyer before responding to any questions. He was arrested three weeks after the murder and charged with second-degree murder while armed.

In September he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed. After his sentence is fulfilled, he will undergo three years of supervised release.