FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, November 12, 2021

District Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison For Killing Man in Northeast Washington

Defendant Attacked Stranger on Sidewalk

            WASHINGTON – Joshua Young, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 12 years in prison for fatally stabbing a man earlier this year in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Young pleaded guilty in August 2021, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed. He was sentenced by the Honorable Yvonne M. Williams. Following his prison term, he will be placed on five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, Young did not know the victim, Walter Rogers. In the early morning hours of Feb. 21, 2021, Young was riding a bike south on Minnesota Avenue NE while the victim, Mr. Rogers, was traveling north on the same sidewalk. After the two passed, Young dismounted his bike, tackled Mr. Rogers to the ground, and then stabbed him while Mr. Rogers was laying on his back on the sidewalk. After the stabbing, Young left Mr. Rogers on the sidewalk and continued riding his bike home. The Metropolitan Police Department responded minutes later at approximately 8:25 a.m., and Mr. Rogers, 50, was pronounced dead a hospital a short time later.

            Young was arrested on March 1, 2021 and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark, Litigation Technology Specialist Aisha Keys, and Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera.  Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ganjei, who investigated and prosecuted the case.