Bernard Eddy, 24, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty of second-degree murder while armed, along with related weapons offenses, for the September 2019 killing of 16-year-old Steffen Brathwaite. The jury delivered its verdict today, as announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The trial took place in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia under the oversight of Judge Michael Ryan, who has scheduled Eddy's sentencing for June 20, 2025. Eddy potentially faces up to 40 years in prison for the murder conviction.
Government evidence revealed that around 12:12 a.m. on September 10, 2019, Eddy approached Brathwaite as he walked alone through the 3000 block of 24th Place, S.E. Eddy, armed with a 9 mm handgun, fired multiple shots at Brathwaite, who subsequently fell to the ground. Eddy fled the scene on foot, and Brathwaite was pronounced dead several hours later.
A key piece of evidence was a 15-second audio-video recording found on Eddy’s cell phone, which authorities recovered eight days after the murder. The recording, captured approximately three hours after the incident, depicted Eddy celebrating Brathwaite's murder.
Eddy was apprehended on January 6, 2023, and has remained in custody without bail.
The investigation of this case was conducted by the Metropolitan Police Department, with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Liebman and Mark Levy.