FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Two Men Sentenced to Decades in Prison for 2017 Killing of Man in Southeast Washington 

Victim Was Fatally Shot in an Attempted Robbery

            WASHINGTON –Two Maryland men were sentenced today to decades in prison for first-degree felony murder while armed and other charges in the 2017 killing of a man in Southeast Washington, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Nyekemia Everett, 36, of Greenbelt, was sentenced to 33 years in prison and Malik Hewitt, 41, of Capitol Heights, was sentenced to 30 years of incarceration. Both were found guilty in July 2021 by a jury in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia of the murder charge, as well as conspiracy, attempted robbery while armed, and related offenses. They were sentenced by the Honorable Neal E. Kravitz. 

            According to the government’s evidence, beginning on April 26, 2017, Everett, Hewitt, and a third individual plotted to rob the victim, Christopher Heard. Over the phone, they lured him to the 2300 block of Ainger Place SE, on the pretense of a drug deal. At approximately 3:30 a.m. on April 27, 2017, Everett, Hewitt and the third individual drove together to the area and parked. In the meeting that followed, roughly 15 minutes later, Everett pointed a gun at Mr. Heard and announced a robbery. Mr. Heard lunged toward Everett, who shot him twice. Mr. Heard, 37, died at the scene. Everett and Hewitt fled the area and were arrested in May 2017. 

            In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillips 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 FBI, Bode Technology, and the crime scene search unit from the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Services. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alyse Constantinide and Richard Barker; Paralegal Specialists Lornce Applewhite, Debra Forte, Nicole McGhee, and Lashone Samuels; Victim Witness Specialist Jennifer Allen; Robert Cephas, La June Thames, Katina Adams-Washington, M. LaVerne Perry, Lesley Slade, and Maenylie Watson, all of the Victim Witness Assistance Unit; Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Homicide Section Intern Jack Holt.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Liebman and Shehzad Akhtar, who prosecuted the case.