DC Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced a defendant to 10 months of imprisonment for stabbing another inmate at the DC Jail on Oct. 31.
Michael Mason, 21, pleaded guilty on Oct. 16 to attempted assault with a dangerous weapon for a non-fatal stabbing at the DC Jail on the 1900 block of D Street, SE on Feb. 27. The victim suffered a punctured lung.
At sentencing, the prosecutor requested Mason serve 28 months of imprisonment with three years of supervised release.
The prosecution noted that Mason approached another inmate and stabbed him in the back twice with a sharp object. According to the prosecutor, surveillance video showed Mason laughing while the victim attempted to fight back with a broomstick.
The prosecutor acknowledged Mason’s acceptance of responsibility in the case.
Mason’s defense attorney, Andrew Ain, played a video of the incident in which the victim charged at Mason with a broomstick. According to Ain, there’s a culture of violence and retaliation at the jail.
Ain acknowledged Mason “stabbed a guy in the back, you don’t do that,” but requested a sentence of only probation time.
Ain said Mason needs time to contemplate his actions but said he will already be spending a significant amount of time incarcerated. Mason was sentenced earlier in the day by DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman to 28 years and eight months of imprisonment for two different murders.
Judge Di Toro sentenced Mason to 10 months of imprisonment with three years of supervised release. She noted the imprisonment term was consecutive the other charges and the supervised release was concurrent to Mason’s other sentences.
No further dates were set.
