Niko Hall, a 33-year-old resident of Washington, DC, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for second-degree murder while armed. The sentence was announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget Fitzpatrick and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Hall was found guilty of shooting and killing a man on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.
The sentencing follows Hall's guilty plea on November 11, 2024, before Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt. In addition to his prison term, Hall will serve five years of supervised release.
Hall is the last member of a group involved in the crime to be sentenced. His co-defendants, Kyrie Wells and Darquise Montgomery, also pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed. Wells received a 14-year sentence, while Montgomery was sentenced to 12 years.
According to evidence presented by the government, the incident occurred on September 26, 2020. The defendants shot Anthony Lee, 25, as he walked away from them on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The attack took place around 11:22 p.m., with Hall joining his accomplices after exiting Mellon Market with a handgun drawn. They lined up across the sidewalk and fired at Lee and his companion without prior interaction or provocation; both victims were unarmed.
Following Lee's shooting and fall to the ground, one co-defendant used an assault rifle to fire at least 13 shots at Lee's companion.
Hall was arrested nearly a month later on October 20, 2020, and has remained in custody since then.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick and Chief Smith praised the efforts of those involved in investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged contributions from individuals within the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Paralegal Specialists LaShone Samuels and Stephanie Siegerist as well as Victim/Witness Advocates Latrice Washington-Williams and Jenn Allen. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Keefer and Thomas Faulkner prosecuted the case alongside U.S. Attorney Peter V. Roman and Deputy Chief Laura Bach who were instrumental in its investigation and prosecution.