Man Receives 4-Year Sentence Despite Murder Acquittal

By D.C. Witness Staff - May 21, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

Even though a man was acquitted of homicide charges connected to a 16-year-old girl’s death, a DC Superior Court judge sentenced him to more than 4 years in prison.

Judge Craig Iscoe sentenced Saeve Evans to 4.6 years in prison for unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction during a shootout that killed Breyona McMillian on the 1200 block of I St., SE in 2016. The judge also applied good time served to Evans’ sentence, reducing it by 8.4 months.

“It never struck me [that] you were out to kill [because] you would not have casual conversation,” Judge Iscoe told Evans, 33, on May 17.

Judge Iscoe said he made his decision on the fact that Evans was carrying a “mini-uzi” even though he knew he was in violation of the law.

In addition to serving time in prison, Evans has to register as a gun offender and pay $100 to the Crime Victim’s Compensation Program. He is also required to serve an additional three years on supervised release after his prison term.

Judge Iscoe said his decision was not based on Evans’ pre-sentence report nor prior offenses he was acquitted on, including three additional murder charges. The sentencing range for Evans’ offense was from two years to five and a half years in prison.

“I hope you are able to put your life back in order and serve your family and children,” Judge Iscoe said. “You’ve got to do a complete change in the type of life you are living.”

During the sentencing, Evans’ defense lawyer, James King, requested a shorter sentence of three years with a possible term of probation for the gun offense. He said Evans was carrying a gun because he had been shot multiple times before.

“We have a person who had a gun for protection,” King said, referencing that Evans, who was thought to be a snitch, didn’t feel safe in his own neighborhood.

According to the defense, Evans wants to get beyond the incident and move away from the District of Columbia with his family.

“I’m extremely sad with what happened to Breyona. I loved her like a little sister,” Evans told Judge Iscoe, adding that he only wanted to be a good father to his children.

The judge’s sentence fell between the prosecution and defense’s sentencing requests. The prosecution asked for the maximum sentence — five and a half years — saying Evans evoked fear, was a high risk and continued to disobey the law even though he had been incarcerated before. The prosecutor cited a pre-sentence report that said Evans was arrested seven times for gun possession.