DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman sentenced a defendant who fatally shot his classmate to 18 years in prison on Feb. 20.
On Dec. 17, 2025, 20-year-old Carlton Simon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed for the fatal shooting of Angel Dominguez, 17, on May 29, 2025 on the 900 block of Florida Avenue, NW. Dominguez sustained five gunshot wounds to his chest, calf, thigh, knee, and forearm.
Several members of Dominguez’s family were present at Simon’s sentencing and delivered emotional impact statements.
“This is a very unfortunate situation for both families,” Dominguez’s “second mother” said. “Losing Angel has cost me so much trauma and pain…I have never felt loss like this,” she stated.
Dominguez’s second mother remarked that although she didn’t carry him in her womb, she loved him like he was her own. Now, she said, she will carry him in her heart forever.
She told Judge Edelman that her six-year-old daughter cried for Dominguez constantly. Dominguez made a promise to watch her daughter grow up and take her to prom because he said didn’t trust any other guys with her, according to his second mother. Now, he will never get to do that. In a video played before the court, the young girl sadly said “I miss my brother.”
The prosecutors read letters on behalf of family members and friends who were unable to give their statements in court.
In her letter, Dominguez’s ex-girlfriend wrote that when she saw him in his casket, she couldn’t help but think “where is smile, his laughter, his life?” Dominguez deserved a fighting chance, said his ex-girlfriend.
Dominguez’s brother’s letter stated that “when Angel passed, I felt like a part of me passed with him.” He “would do anything to bring him back,” and misses his brother deeply.
In his letter, Dominguez’s father asked for justice to be served and for those who decided Simon’s sentence to be wise.
Dominguez’s mother also asked for justice. Her letter said that she worked many jobs in her life, but the most important one was being a mother. “My whole world came to a stop” when Dominguez died, she wrote.
The prosecutor reminded the court that Dominguez was only 17-years-old and obtaining his GED. On the day of the shooting, when Simon approached Dominguez, Dominguez walked away. It was Simon who pulled out a gun and grabbed Dominguez’s backpack before shooting him in the chest, noted prosecutors.
The prosecutor asked Judge Edelman to not allow the mitigating circumstances of the case to reduce Simon’s sentence. Allegations of verbal threats against Simon, Dominguez’s criminal record, or previous alleged robberies do not justify a calculated killing, she argued.
According to the prosecutor, the assertion that Simon didn’t mean harm was wrong because he bragged about killing Dominguez online, rapping about it. “He wasn’t shying away from what he did,” she asserted. “He chose to act with violence, he intended to act with violence,” and now he must suffer the consequences of the violence, said the prosecutor.
The prosecutor asked for Simon to be sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment.
Defense attorney Kevin Irving disagreed, saying Simon wasn’t bragging about the shooting. Irving argued Simon rapping online was simply making music with his friends. Rap lyrics just include that sort of language, he insisted.
According to Irving, when detectives began questioning Simon about the shooting, he broke down and admitted what he did. Simon continued to suffer over this, Irving said, and motioned towards Simon crying in court. Irving asked for the low end of the sentencing guideline.
Given his emotions, Simon asked Irving to read his prepared statement to the court. In it Simon said that he was sincerely apologetic for what he did. “I never wanted this to happen,” said Simon. “I felt like if I didn’t protect myself, I would be gone,” he stated.
In the statement, Simon pleaded with Judge Edelman to let him see his mother again and be with his family. Simon expressed that he wanted to right this wrong.
This situation is “just tragic all around,” Judge Edelman explained. He said that both young men were in the same situation, trying to do the right thing by going to school and getting work experience. Simon and Dominguez both brought guns with them to school that day and that is what escalated this situation, said the judge.
He noted that it’s clear Dominguez was a loving and loyal family member and it seemed like he was trying to forge another path for himself. Simon was also a young man and it was his first adult criminal conviction, the judge stated. According to Judge Edelman, Simon accepted responsibility very early and also seemed to be on a better path.
Judge Edelman said that text messages indicated Simon was planning to do something to Dominguez on the day he was shot, showing there is no legal self-defense. However, Irving showed paperwork that this was not an isolated incident. Simon acted out of fear, a robbery to disarm the victim. “He was not acting in self-defense, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t afraid,” Judge Edelman proclaimed.
Judge Edelman said he received contextual material from people not involved in this incident. A friend of Simon’s wrote to the judge that Dominguez often bragged about robberies and carjacking, and had even done it to his classmates.
The former assistant principal of the school Simon and Dominguez attended also wrote a letter corroborating Simon’s defense. Judge Edelman explained that he viewed this letter as unbiased testimony.
The advocate wrote that Simon tried in school and made consistent effort, even when interpersonal conflicts arose. She said that Dominguez also experienced ongoing social conflicts and made hostile statements towards Simon.
Judge Edelman opined that this letter did not justify Simon’s actions, but it did provide context that the conflict between Simon and Dominguez wasn’t isolated to that day.
There was no justification for Simon’s actions, but the events underlying this case were more complex than the prosecution made it seem, Judge Edelman said.
Simon was sentenced to 18 years incarceration and five years of supervised release. Simon must register as a gun offender in DC and pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund upon his release. Judge Edelman recommended that Simon enroll in mental health counseling, substance abuse counseling, and a GED program.
No further dates were set.
