Willie Byrd, a 61-year-old resident of Washington D.C., has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for a stabbing incident that took place outside a shelter in February 2023. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Byrd received concurrent sentences from Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe: 15 years for aggravated assault while armed, three years for carrying a dangerous weapon, and five years of supervised release. A Superior Court jury found Byrd guilty on November 20, 2024.
The government's evidence indicated that on February 28, 2023, at approximately 8:30 pm, Byrd stabbed the victim in the chest with a large fixed-blade knife near the corner of 2nd and D Streets, N.W. Prior to the stabbing, Byrd attempted to take money from the victim during an attempted drug transaction. The victim sustained life-threatening injuries affecting multiple organs and required surgery along with an extended hospital stay.
Surveillance video footage from the nearby Federal City Shelter helped MPD officers and detectives identify Byrd as the assailant. He was subsequently located inside the shelter and arrested.
U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith acknowledged those involved in investigating the case from MPD as well as individuals who assisted with case preparation at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. They specifically commended Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Renee Prather, Paralegal Specialist Marcella Trader, Assistant United States Attorneys Erica Rudolf and Ella Gladman who prosecuted the case, and Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Evans who investigated it.