Friday, August 16, 2024

Defendant Shot the Victim in Front of His Home, Jury Rejected Claim of Self-Defense

WASHINGTON – Jason Lewis, 42, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a Superior Court jury today for the January 2023 killing of 13-year-old Karon Blake in the 1000 block of Quincy Street, NE, Washington D.C. The verdict was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Lewis was found guilty of three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed, committed against a minor.

Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein scheduled sentencing for October 25, 2024. For committing voluntary manslaughter while armed against a minor, Lewis faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison.

According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, at approximately 4:00 a.m., on January 7, 2023, Lewis armed himself with a fully-loaded handgun and went outside his home in the 1000 block of Quincy Street, NE. Lewis is on video leaving his house, aiming and firing at two young people who were involved in breaking into cars. After Lewis fired at those two people, hitting the car that one was driving, Karon Blake then ran in Lewis’s direction and Lewis fired two shots into Karon’s left side, killing him. Lewis claimed that he acted in self-defense because the two people that he initially fired at threatened him. In finding Lewis guilty of the assaults with a dangerous weapon, the jury rejected his claim of self-defense.

Lewis was arrested on January 31, 2023, and was initially held until he was released in March 2023, over the government’s objection.

This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

This case was prosecuted and tried by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Wojcik and Shauna Payyappilly.

Guilty Verdict for Man Who Killed 13-Year-Old Karon Blake