DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced a carjacking defendant, Vincent Jones, to 18 months of incarceration on Feb. 4.
On Dec. 3, 2024, Jones, 30, pleaded guilty to robbery and unlawful use of a motor vehicle for his involvement in an armed carjacking on the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, NE on June 13, 2023. No injuries were reported.
Prosecutors provided videos of Jones and two other conspirators surrounding the victim at a parking lot and stealing a Nike string bag with over $400 and keys to the victim’s car. While DNA testing showed no signs Jones was in the car during the robbery, the prosecution argued that he was still involved in the incident because his cell phone data proved he was near the site during the carjacking.
Peter Odom, Jones’ attorney, requested Jones be sentenced to 18 months, along with supervised release, the minimum sentence for the robbery charge. Odom stated that Jones takes full responsibility for the incident and advised the judge that he had a difficult upbringing and suffered with developmental disabilities as a child. However despite these limitations, Odom claimed that Jones is a good father with a strong support system to help him.
“I want to apologize to the court, victim, and my family,” Jones stated to Judge Di Toro.
Judge Di Toro said that “People deserve chances” and sentenced Jones to 18 months of incarceration for robbery and six months for unlawful use of a vehicle, running concurrently to the robbery charge.
No further dates were set.
