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By
Isabelle Chiu [former]
- June 21, 2022
Court
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Daily Stories
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Domestic Violence
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Sex Abuse
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Sexual Assault
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Suspects
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A 30-year-old defendant was sentenced on June 17 to serve 10 months in prison.
Wilson Buchi Nwafor Jr. was accused of sexually assaulting his girlfriend at their residence on the 1200 block of 1st Street, SE on Nov. 20, 2021, according to court documents. Documents state that Nwafor also threatened is girlfriend by knifepoint after she asked him to leave the residence.
Nwafor was originally charged with two counts of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon on Dec. 16, 2021. On April 14, he pleaded guilty to attempted assault with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor sex abuse.
During the sentencing hearing, the prosecution told DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun that the sentence needed to address both the serious escalation of violence that occurred during the incident and deterrence from future violence. The prosecutor requested giving Nwafor the maximum sentence of 24 months in prison and a five-year probation period.
However, Judge Okun said he would not give Nwafor the maximum 24 months because this was the defendant’s first conviction.
Defense attorney Kevin McCants said Nwafor and his girlfriend were “constantly at each other’s throats,” which ultimately led to the incident.
“I’m sorry to her, her friends, her family,” Nwafar said in reference to the victim before his sentencing.
The victim declined to provide a statement.
Judge Okun sentenced Nwafor to 20 months in prison, suspending 10 months, with three years of supervised release. The term for supervised release was also suspended. Nwafor must also serve three years on probation for the attempted assault charge.
Nwafor was also sentenced to a concurrent term of 180 days, suspending 90 days, with three years on probation for the misdemeanor sex abuse charge.
During probation, he is required to get substance abuse evaluation testing and treatment as deemed appropriate by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (CSOSA), attend a domestic violence intervention program, and attend anger management classes. He also has a stay away order in which its full details were not made public.
Nwafor is also required to pay $150 to the Victims of Violent Crime Act fund.