Do you know who killed Richard Washington in 2019? On a late Thursday afternoon, just before 4:00 p.m. on December 19, 2019, the life of 28-year-old Richard Washington of Northeast, D.C., was tragically cut short. In the 3900 block of Minnesota Avenue, Northeast, Washington was shot and killed. First responders arrived at the scene to find him suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital for treatment of his life-threatening injuries, but despite all life-saving efforts, he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into
the homicide led detectives to identify a suspect. On Monday, December 30, 2019, pursuant to a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant, 25-year-old Jerome Alexander, of no fixed address, was taken into custody by the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder while armed.
During legal proceedings, it was revealed that Washington died from a single gunshot to the chest. Prosecutors presented video evidence that showed a man, alleged to be Alexander, following Washington before the shooting. A distinctive blue-colored bullet was used in the homicide, and prosecutors pointed to a picture on Alexander's Instagram account showing him with similar bullets. Though the defense argued for the possibility of self-defense, a judge found substantial probability for the first-degree murder charge to proceed to trial, noting that the video appeared to show Alexander following Washington. In June 2022, Jerome Alexander, then 28, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm in connection with Washington's death.
