Murder Defendant Pleads Guilty to Stabbing Man in 2018

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>A murder defendant told a DC Superior Court judge that he wanted to plead guilty to stabbing a man in 2018.

Dazmine Anderson pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter for stabbing Jean-Claude Jackson on 30-year-old Jean-Claude Jackson on the 1300 block of Good Hope Road, SE on Oct. 7, 2018. Anderson, who was 16 at the time of the crime, is being charged as an adult. He was initially charged with second-degree murder.

According to the terms of the plea agreement, Anderson, who is now 17 years old, could be sentenced from five to six years in prison. The prosecution would drop the carrying a pistol outside of a home or business charge.,/p>

If Anderson had gone to trial, he could have received a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison or a fine of $250,000.

According to court documents, Anderson was being chased, along with three other juveniles, by a group of people, including Jackson, after the juveniles allegedly robbed a person near Ketcham Elementary School in Southeast, DC.

After being cornered by one of the members of the group of residents chasing the juveniles, Anderson allegedly ran into a house on the 1300 block of T street, SE.

As the victim began to walk away, Anderson came out of the house shirtless, and stabbed the victim with a kitchen knife, documents say.

During the hearing, Anderson told Judge Milton Lee that he had stabbed Jackson. However, the defense disagreed with the prosecution’s proffer of fact that stated that Anderson stabbed the victim from behind.

Anderson is currently being held at a facility under the Department of Youth and Rehabilitation Services. He is scheduled for sentencing on Feb. 14, 2020.