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By
D.C. Witness Staff
- November 7, 2017
Homicides
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Suspects
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Malik Hough pled guilty on Friday to second-degree murder while armed for the murder of 22-year-old Herbert Dowtin.
He will be sentenced in January 2018.
Police found Dowtin in the 800 block of Xenia St. SE, with multiple gunshot wounds in December 2016. He was taken to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. Malik Hough was arrested and charged for his murder in early January.
According to the prosecution’s evidence, Hough had been arrested in November 2016 for a drug charge and a possession of firearm charge. After Hough admitted his possession and distribution of cocaine and his possession of a 9mm firearm, he was released by the court on Nov. 23, 2016, with a GPS tracking ankle bracelet. He was also released on the conditions that he not possess any firearms.
Roughly one month later, Dowtin had been walking at approximately 1:20 p.m. when Hough walked up behind him and fired 10 shots at him, hitting him eight times. His firearm was later recovered and was matched to the casing found at the scene. DNA testing on the firearm revealed that Hough was one of the people whose DNA was on the firearm.
Hough pled guilty in the Superior Court on Friday as part of a plea agreement. During his plea, Hough acknowledged that he was not acting in self defense when he shot Dowtin. According to the agreement, he will have an agreed-upon sentence between 17-29 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
Judge Judith Bartnoff scheduled his sentencing for Jan. 3, 2018.