A homicide defendant took a plea deal for the shooting death of a teenager in an Oct. 17 hearing before DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan.
Maurice Corbin, 46, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Daquan Gardner on April 30, 2024 on the 1500 block of North Capitol Street, NE.
Corbin’s attorney, Julie Swaney, told the court that Corbin had agreed to plead guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed with a sentencing range of 20-to-24 years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000. In return, the prosecution agreed to dismiss an indictment on the remaining counts.
The agreement includes a five year minimum mandatory term.
In accepting the plea deal the prosecutor said that had the case gone to trial, a jury would have convicted Corbin of Gardner’s murder.
Reading from a proffer of facts, the prosecutor said Corbin approached Garder who was stopped in a car and fired multiple times at the victim who was in the driver’s seat. Further, Corbin did so willingly, voluntarily and not in self-defense.
Judge Ryan asked Corbin if he understood that he was waiving his right to trial and a possible appeal of a conviction by accepting the plea. Corbin acknowledged that he understood the deal outlined in a three page letter and had discussed it thoroughly with his lawyer.
It will take the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA) sixty days to prepare a pre-sentencing report.
Sentencing is set for Dec. 19.
