DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan sentenced a homicide defendant to 26 years in prison on Feb. 13 for strangling his mother to death.
On Nov. 26, 2025 Seth Andrews, 39, was convicted of second-degree murder for strangling his mother, Hazel Evans, 67, in her home on the unit block of 35th Street, NE, on July 16, 2020.
Andrews was also charged with two counts of assault on a police officer and one count of destruction of property less than $1,000 for an altercation he had with Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services (DC FEMS) on Aug. 20, 2020. According to court documents, Andrews hit a firefighter in the throat, slammed a police officer’s hand in a car door, and broke the windows of a firetruck with a wood palette.
Prior to the trial, Judge Ryan granted a defense motion to sever the murder charge from Andrews’ other charges.
At sentencing, Andrews accepted a plea deal from prosecutors that required him to plead guilty to the remaining three charges. In exchange, prosecutors did not oppose concurrent sentences for the three charges.
According to court documents, Evans told people she thought Andrews was having mental health issues in the days leading up to her murder. In a 911 call on the morning of Evans’ death, Andrews said “I’m so sorry, it’s my fault mommy, I’m sorry I didn’t want to kill you mommy.”
A prosecutor described the brutal nature of the strangulation in their argument for 26 years in prison for the murder. They emphasized that fatally strangling someone requires several minutes, often with resistance from the victim. Andrews’ DNA was found under Evans’ fingernails, prosecutors highlighted.
The prosecutor also pointed out the violent nature of someone killing their own mother. “The defendant who was willing to kill his own mother, is willing to harm anyone,” they said.
Evans’ and Andrews’ family members gave several statements describing the grief and pain they experienced since her death. Evans’ sister said she retired from the postal service due to emotional issues. The sister described collapsing on the floor after learning her sister died and being unable to move for two hours.
“My crying, my mood, my sleep at night, everything is disrupted,” said Evans’ sister.
Evans’ sister also described a separate incident of Andrews grabbing his sister by the hair and beating her shortly after their mother’s death.
“At the time, I didn’t know he did anything to my sister,” Evans’ sister said, continuing, “I’m thinking he’s mad she’s gone, he’s the one who did her in.”
Evans’ sister said Andrews behaved erratically following the murder. She said he jumped from a Mercedes at the funeral and loudly apologized to her during the funeral.
According to Evans’ sister, Evans put a lot of effort into raising Andrews after his father left her and they became homeless. “There was never a question, ever, how much she loved her children. She fought hard to bring him into this world, and to know he is the reason she is no longer in this world.”
Prosecutors said Andrews was previously convicted for marijuana possession, violence against a significant other, and throwing a cash register at someone.
Andrews’ family members said his mother supported him during his previous convictions. “Everytime he had an issue, everytime he was incarcerated, she was there fighting for him and standing up for him,” Evans’ sister said.
Andrews’ sister, Evans’ eldest daughter, said she did not know why he killed her. “You got more affection and love than I could have gotten from my mom,” Evans’ daughter said. “There was always an excuse for the boys, they could never know better. I had to know better and I had to do better.”
“[Evans] constantly continued the love even if she could not do it as the most model parent,” a prosecutor said.
Evans’ family members said while she struggled with drug addiction and depression, she had largely recovered and was improving her life. Evans’ daughter said her child, Evans’ granddaughter, had no idea she ever did drugs because her life was so together. “I was proud of her,” Evans’ daughter said.
Andrews’ attorney, Kevin Irving, argued that he should receive a lesser sentence given the progress he has made while incarcerated, completing seven professional certifications.
Andrews himself noted that growing up in poverty contributed to many of his life’s problems. He called the area he grew up in as “18 and Dead,” claiming that many juveniles from the area are killed before their 18th birthday. According to Andrews, his upbringing inhibited him and his siblings.
“Because of the curse that we suffer from poverty, from violence, from growing up on 18 and Dead, from depression, from divorce, we never got to shine as bright as we could,” Andrews said. Andrews told Judge Ryan he would like the opportunity to rehabilitate himself.
Judge Ryan acknowledged the family’s struggles with poverty and violence, but emphasized the cruelty of the crime.
“It is a set of facts which seem almost in Greek tragedy,” Judge Ryan agreed.
Andrews was previously incarcerated for five years for attempted second-degree murder in Maryland and worked in information technology after release, according to Judge Ryan.
Judge Ryan sentenced Andrews to 26 years for the murder and concurrent sentences totaling 180 days for his assault on MPD and DC FEMS. Andrews’ imprisonment will be followed by five years of supervised release.
Although Andrews had asked for the opportunity to rehabilitate, Judge Ryan said this was not a central consideration in his sentencing.
“Your incarceration is not to make you a better person. Your incarceration is to punish you for killing your mother,” Judge Ryan said.
No further dates were set.
