IN THE COURTS | District Man Pleads Guilty to Role in Killing of Man Near Mount Vernon Square Metro Station

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 14, 2022

Defendant Lured Victim to the Metro Station

            WASHINGTON – William Whitaker 21, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder for his role in the slaying of a man in January 2020 near a Metro station in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Whitaker pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is to be sentenced on Jan. 20, 2023, by the Honorable Milton C. Lee, Jr.

            According to the government’s evidence, Whitaker used a woman’s Instagram account to message the victim, Malick Cisse, to organize a meeting near the Mount Vernon Square Metro station. Mr. Cisse, 19, arrived at the Metro station, in the 1300 block of Seventh Street NW, at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2020, thinking he was going to meet the woman. Whitaker and other unknown individuals pulled up in a white vehicle and shot and killed Mr. Cisse. Whitaker was a part of the Simple City “Avenue Crew” and the shooting is believed to be related to crew rivalry. He was arrested on May 7, 2020. He has been detained ever since.

            In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth, Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gauri Gopal, Julia Cosans, Gregory Kimak, and Sarah Santiago, and Sharon Donovan, Deputy Chief of the Office’s Homicide Section.