Sunday, February 18, 2024

WASHINGTON – Jamaarr Morgan, 23, of Hyattsville, Maryland, was sentenced in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to 12 years in prison for the fatal shooting of Jacques Russ, on December 14, 2021, in the Unit block of 61st Street Northeast, Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Morgan pleaded guilty, on July 12, 2023, to voluntary manslaughter while armed. Under the District of Columbia Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines, Morgan faced a sentencing range of 90 to 180 months of incarceration. On Friday, February 16, 2024, the Honorable Marisa Demeo sentenced Morgan to 144 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

            According to the government’s evidence, on December 14, 2021, Morgan encountered Mr. Russ in the Unit block of 61st Street Northeast on December 14, 2021, around 6:50 a.m., as the victim was on his way to work. Morgan proceeded to shoot the victim once in the head before fleeing the scene. Mr. Russ’s body was found lying in the street a short time later by a passerby.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including Assistant U.S. Attorney Ariel Dean, who prosecuted the case, with valuable assistance by Paralegal Specialists Tasha Harris and Lauren Douglas and Victim Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez.