In the early morning hours of January 27, 2022, a vibrant young woman's life was tragically cut short in a Washington, D.C. hotel room. Dasha Cleary, a 20-year-old female from Dunkirk, Maryland, was fatally shot at a Days Inn on Connecticut Avenue NW. Friends and family remembered her as a beautiful soul with a rare ability to make people smile and laugh. She was a loving daughter, sister, and aunt who had a passion for helping others, often spending her time with children with disabilities.
The night of the incident, a surprise birthday party was being held in a room on the fifth floor of the hotel. A dozen people were gathered, drinking and smoking, with music playing loudly. Witnesses reported that Dasha was dancing on one of the beds. The celebration took a dark turn when an argument erupted. An 18-year-old man named Gerald Thomas, of Temple Hills, Maryland, had been repeatedly calling his girlfriend, who was at the party.
Believing she was cheating on him, he arrived at the hotel and managed to get to the fifth floor.
Once in the room, an altercation ensued, and gunshots were fired. In the ensuing chaos, five people were struck by bullets. When police arrived, they found a scene of violence, with blood spattered on the walls and furniture. Dasha Cleary was discovered on one of the beds and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital. Four other individuals, including Thomas's girlfriend, sustained injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to critical.
An investigation led to the arrest of Gerald Thomas. He was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Dasha Cleary's death, as well as other offenses related to the injuries of the other four victims. Thomas pleaded not guilty, with his lawyer initially arguing self-defense. In the months that followed, the legal proceedings against Thomas continued, with his release conditions being a point of contention. He was initially placed on home confinement with GPS monitoring. This decision caused distress for Dasha's family, who expressed frustration with the justice system. Thomas was later detained pending further hearings after violating his curfew. The case has been a source of ongoing pain for Dasha Cleary's loved ones as they navigate the slow path toward justice for her untimely death.
