A shooting defendant accepted a plea deal in a case that caused the death of a Peace Corps Worker before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on Feb. 13.
Dearay Wilson, 30, was originally charged with first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence for killing Jeremy Black, 50, on June 29, 2021 on the 1400 block of R Street, NW. No other defendants have been charged in the case.
Black was eulogized by the National Peace Corps Association as an individual whose life work was, “[p]romoting understanding between people” in challenging parts of the world.
According to court documents, Black, had dinner with a group that night on 14th Street but when he returned to his car on 15th Street, he was shot by four suspects. The group allegedly circled the block once before parking their vehicle and moving towards Black’s party walking down 15th Street turning to R Street. Court documents reported that after firing multiple shots, the four suspects ran back to the car and fled the scene.
“Black, the victim, was an innocent bystander walking through the area with his wife and two friends,” according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
In court, Wilson accepted a deal from prosecutors that required him to plead guilty to second-degree murder while armed and in exchange, prosecutors dismissed the remaining charges, including first-degree murder. As part of the deal, parties agreed to a sentence range of 15-to-21 years of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release, subject to Judge Kravitz’s approval at sentencing.
The prosecutor read out the evidence in court that they would have presented to prove Wilson’s guilt at trial. According to the prosecutor, CCTV surveillance footage of R Street showed four armed individuals, including Wilson, leaving a previously stolen Chevrolet. The suspects then approached Black and his group before firing numerous rounds, said the prosecutor.
According to an autopsy report cited by the prosecution, Black was shot once in the torso, resulting in his death. The prosecution concluded that the evidence would have proved Wilson’s intent to kill with no justification of self-defense.
Judge Kravitz confirmed that Wilson accepted the plea deal knowingly and voluntarily.
Parties are set to reconvene for sentencing on April 10.
