‘My Life Has Been Turned Upside Down,’ Stabbing Victim Says at Sentencing

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DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park sentenced a stabbing defendant on March 28 to ten years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. 

Ray Stover, 45, was charged with assault with intent to kill for his involvement in a non-fatal stabbing that occurred on June 5, 2024, at the 1100 block of 45th Street, NE. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 4. 

The victim of the incident gave a victim impact statement highlighting how the incident has affected his quality of life and has led sleeplessness and PTSD. 

“My life has been turned upside down,” the victim said. 

He told the court that he was doing his school job monitoring an entrance and exit when a complete stranger approached him and chased him with a knife before stabbing him. 

“Get some help, because there is something desperately wrong with someone who can do that to a complete stranger,” the victim said to Stover.

The prosecution shared surveillance footage of Stover chasing the victim before stabbing him. They also presented photos of the stab wounds and the shirt the victim was wearing. 

The prosecution called this incident a “serious, heinous, and random” attack, as Stover perpetrated it on a victim he didn’t know. They also said that Stover has an extensive violent criminal record, including shooting his stepfather, and that probation has not succeeded

Stover’s defense attorney, Quo Mieko Judkins, argued that Stover’s violent behavior is connected to substance abuse and mental illness. She told the court that Stover experienced abandonment and abuse during his childhood. Furthermore, he was a victim of a robbery during which he sustained six gunshot wounds. Judkins requested that Stover be placed in RDAP, a substance abuse treatment program run by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). 

Judge Park acknowledged that Stover suffered a difficult childhood and has taken responsibility for his actions. However, he said that an unprovoked assault on someone doing their job warrants incarceration. Stover was sentenced to 120 months of incarceration and three years of supervised release.

No further dates were set.