FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, April 29, 2022

District Man Sentenced to Life in Prison for 2015 Killing of Man in Southwest Washington

Victim, Clinging to Life, Managed to Identify Assailant – His Own Cousin

WASHINGTON – Gary Proctor, 44, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to life in prison on charges stemming from the 2015 murder of his cousin in an attack he carried out at the cousin’s home in Southwest Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Proctor was found guilty in August 2019, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of charges of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a license. He was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson.

According to the government’s evidence, on July 27, 2015, at approximately 4:40 p.m., Proctor entered the residence of the victim, Jerome “Beanie” Diggs, in the 1300 block of First Street SW, and fired eight shots, striking Mr. Diggs seven times. Proctor ran out of the house, leaving the victim for dead. But Mr. Diggs managed to pick up the phone and call his sister, telling her that their cousin, “Little Gary” Proctor, had just shot him.

When his sister asked the wounded Mr. Diggs why he didn’t call for help, he stated that he did not think he was going to make it, and he wanted someone to know what happened to him. The sister hung up and instantly called 911, where she relayed what Mr. Diggs had told her. Meanwhile, Mr. Diggs, still clinging to life, crawled out the back door of his home where he was spotted by several neighbors who also called for help. One of these neighbors heard Mr. Diggs state “Lil Gary” was the person who shot him. Mr. Diggs, 47, lost consciousness shortly thereafter and died later that day from his wounds. Proctor was arrested pursuant to a warrant the very next day and has been held in custody ever since

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jackson and Chrisellen Kolb; former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Timmer; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Lesley Slade; Supervisory Security Specialists Laverne Perry, Tanya Via, and Wanda Queen; Administrative Services Specialist Karen Lee-Putt; Supervisory Paralegal Sharon Newman; Paralegals Kelly Blakeney and Meridith McGarrity; Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; former Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling; Information Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown, and Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin.

Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler, who investigated the case, and Gilead Light and Alicia Long, who prosecuted the case.