James G. Walker, a 67-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on two counts of second-degree murder and 27 criminal building code violations. The verdict relates to the deaths of Fitsum Kebede and Yafet Solomen in a fire at an unlicensed row house on Kennedy Street.
Walker was indicted on January 16, 2020, for multiple charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter by Judge Ronna L. Beck. Evidence presented by the government revealed that Walker owned a commercial property at 708 Kennedy Street, N.W., which he operated as an illegal rooming house without a certificate of occupancy. The building violated several fire safety codes, with rooms too small to be habitable, lack of windows, and non-functional smoke alarms. Most critically, there were obstructed escape routes due to security gates requiring keys from both sides.
On March 21, 2019, Walker received warnings from the Metropolitan Police Department about these violations but failed to rectify them or have the building inspected for residential use.
The fatal fire occurred on August 18, 2019, when three tenants were inside the building. Fitsum Kebede and Yafet Solomen were trapped in the basement and died from thermal burns and smoke inhalation. The prosecution argued that Walker's awareness of the dangerous conditions and his disregard for safety led to their deaths.
The case was prosecuted jointly by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, ATF Special Agent Anthony Spotswood, MPD Chief Pamela Smith, and Fire Chief John A. Donnelly acknowledged the efforts of law enforcement agencies involved in investigating this case.
Assistant United States Attorney Vinet Bryant along with Assistant Attorneys General Jeffrey Cargill and Keith Ingram handled the prosecution.