Quantico, Virginia Man Pleads Guilty to 2019 Murder in Upper Northwest

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, February 3, 2023

Defendant Stabbed the Victim 42 Times

            WASHINGTON – Collin Potter, 30, of Quantico, VA, pled guilty to second-degree murder while armed for stabbing Vongell Lugo, of Washington, DC, to death in Mr. Lugo’s apartment in the Upper Northwest neighborhood of Washington, DC, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

            Potter pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He is scheduled to be sentenced by the Honorable Marisa J. Demeo on April 14, 2023 and faces a sentence of between 14 and 16 years of imprisonment.

            According to the government’s evidence, on Sunday January 6, 2019, at approximately 4:00 a.m., the defendant and the decedent, Vongell Lugo, were alone together in Mr. Lugo’s apartment at #206, Garfield House, 2844 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. Mr. Lugo stood approximately 5’6” tall, weighed about 167 pounds, and was unarmed. The defendant, unprovoked, attacked Mr. Lugo. The defendant grabbed one of Mr. Lugo’s kitchen knives from Mr. Lugo’s kitchen and stabbed Mr. Lugo 42 times in the head, neck, and torso, killing Mr. Lugo.  According to the autopsy, the defendant, at some point, also punched Mr. Lugo in the face.  Mr. Lugo never fought back, beyond yelling for help. Mr. Lugo’s cries for help woke two of his neighbors, both of whom independently called 911 around 4:14 a.m.  The defendant then attempted to clean the knife in the kitchen sink.  Around 4:20 a.m., the defendant pulled Mr. Lugo’s naked body out into the hallway, where Mr. Lugo’s body was found and the defendant was discovered by MPD officers, standing naked, uninjured, and covered in Mr. Lugo’s blood.

            Potter was arrested at the scene on that same day.  He 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 efforts of those who handled the case at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist and Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nebiyu Feleke, Christian Natiello, and Peter V. Roman, and Deputy Chief Laura Bach, who investigated and prosecuted the case.