Lakisha Young sentenced to six years

By D.C. Witness Staff - February 22, 2017
Homicides | Suspects |

The woman charged with fatally stabbing her long-time partner in front of their three minor children was sentenced to six years in jail earlier this month.

Lakisha Young was sentenced as part of a plea deal. Young stabbed Alan Smith after a verbal altercation in front of her three children. According to witnesses, Young was chasing Smith around the house with a knife. One of the children tried to step in multiple times and got pushed aside. Another one said to “stop!” and Young did not listen. Young stabbed Smith in the heart. Smith ultimately collapsed in the hallway and one of the children put a sheet over Smith’s stab wound, to keep pressure and keep from excess bleeding until the police arrived. Smith, 50 years old, died on July 9, 2016.

Young’s children told Joshua Brand, a homicide detective with MPD that Young and Smith had been arguing earlier about an alleged affair Young was having. Young and Smith were drunk during the argument. Young’s children told Brand arguments like these were fairly commonplace but no physical altercations or threats ever arose from them, so no one had felt it necessary to call 911.

Upon police arrival, they found a bloody kitchen knife in the sink. Young said “I’m sorry,” police said. Young said Smith had been abusive toward her in the past but all witnesses testified against her and said it was only for his self-defense or to diffuse the situation. 

Following her prison sentence, Young was sentenced to five years of supervised release.