On March 1, DC Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt sentenced a homicide defendant to 32 years for his involvement in a 2018 murder.
Marquette Jordan, 32, was originally charged with first-degree murder while armed, robbery while armed, two counts of threat to kidnap or injure a person, assault with a dangerous weapon, simple assault, and carrying a dangerous weapon, for his involvement in the death of 48-year-old Ivan Lynch on April 30, 2018, on the 900 block of 5th Street, SE. Lynch was murdered on his birthday.
On April 12, 2022, following a weeks-long trial, a jury acquitted Jordan of the first-degree murder and robbery charges. However, they were unable to reach a verdict on the lesser included charge of second-degree murder while armed.
On Dec. 19, 2023, following a re-trial, a jury convicted Jordan of second-degree murder while armed, assault, and carrying a dangerous weapon.
During the sentencing hearing, the prosecution read two victim impact statements, written by Lynch’s ex-wife and his sister.
Lynch’s ex-wife told the court that his loss is “too immeasurable to express,” adding “Ivan left here with a broken heart and that will haunt me forever.”
“I pray for Jordan’s mom,” she stated in her letter, “that is a loss for both families.”
She deemed Jordan a “troubled man, demon-possessed, untrustworthy” individual, and requested Judge Brandt sentence him to the maximum amount of time possible.
Likewise, Lynch’s sister stated their family has a “lifetime” of healing to do, adding that she doesn’t “wish this feeling on anyone.”
In her letter, she told the court envisions Lynch struggling to remain alive, adding that, although he had a troubled past, he “maintained hope for a better tomorrow.”
The prosecution insisted that “Lynch did nothing to justify this attack,” adding that he was “a truly innocent victim.”
They requested Judge Brandt depart from voluntary sentencing guidelines, which suggests an individual with Jordan’s criminal history be sentenced to 13-to-25 years of incarceration.
They argued that Jordan murdered Lynch in front of two children, and assaulted their mother before stabbing Lynch, adding that the children remember the incident, and continue to deal with the trauma.
Prosecutors also requested Judge Brandt take into consideration the lies that Jordan spewed during the first trial, including about Lynch being the first aggressor.
However, Michael Bruckheim, Jordan’s defense attorney, requested Jordan be sentenced towards the low end of the guidelines, adding that the children were one and three-years-old and have “no recollection of it.”
Bruckheim requested Judge Brandt look at the evidence and not his testimony.
Jordan asserted his right to make a statement during the hearing, and alleged that his constitutional rights were violated, adding that “all matters in DC need to be dealt with in front of Congress,” saying that the verdict reached by the jury was not valid.
“You’re violating the Constitution,” he told Judge Brandt. He did not make a statement to Lynch’s family.
Following Jordan’s statement, Judge Brandt told Lynch’s family “I appreciate the fact that you sent lettters and rode this process out. It hasn’t been easy.”
“I have had a front row seat to your profound grief,” said Judge Brandt, noting that looking at Lynch’s sons in the courtroom is like “looking at him through a mirror.”
“Thanks for the opportunity to see the type of person he was,” she stated.
Judge Brandt said, although the guidelines call for a range of sentencing, the prosecution had proved that there were aggravating factors that gave her reason to deviate.
However, she said “I can’t deviate from the guidelines because Jordan can be a jerk sometimes,” adding that she could deviate from them due to the children’s presence and what they had to deal with after the stabbing, and the deliberate cruelty that Jordan acted with when stabbing Lynch.
As for one of the children, Judge Brandt stated “she’s collateral damage from that evening,” adding that she suffers with mental health and cognitive issues which have had an impact on her emotional and academic maturity.
“Adults should not behave badly in front of impressionable children,” she exclaimed.
She reiterated the fact that Jordan refused to render aid to Lynch, refused to call 911 for help, and took his children away from the scene after the stabbing. “He chose not to help,” Judge Brandt insisted.
“You chose to do nothing. That’s cruel. That’s also heinous,” she ended.
Jordan was sentenced to 30 years of incarceration with five years of supervised release for the murder charge, and 2 years of incarceration for the carrying a dangerous weapon charge, which are required to be served consecutively, totaling 32 years of imprisonment.
Judge Brandt also sentenced Jordan to 180 days for the assault charge, which is a misdemeanor, and will run concurrent to the other charges.
Judge Brandt reminded the defense they had 30 days to appeal.
No further dates were set.
