In the spring of 2016, a dispute in a liquor store parking lot escalated into a fatal shooting that claimed the life of 29-year-old Darnell Lee Richardson. On the evening of March 16th, Richardson met with Leon Stewart and an unidentified associate in the parking lot of Benning Liquors, located in the 3400 block of Benning Road, NE. An altercation broke out, and the situation quickly turned violent.
According to witness accounts, Stewart's associate entered Richardson's car while Stewart
remained outside. A fight reportedly began inside the vehicle, followed by the sound of three gunshots. As the associate exited the car, Richardson attempted to drive away from the scene. It was then that Stewart fired five more shots into the rear window of the vehicle. Richardson was struck by two bullets in his upper back, which fatally wounded his heart and lung. His vehicle was later discovered on the median of a northbound I-295 entry ramp, approximately two blocks from the scene of the shooting. Darnell Lee Richardson was pronounced dead at the scene. He was a male from Cheverly, Maryland.
The investigation into the homicide led police to identify 24-year-old Leon Stewart of Northeast D.C. as the primary suspect. A warrant for his arrest was issued, charging him with first-degree murder while armed. In May of 2016, after a search that involved circulating his photo to the public, Stewart was arrested and taken into custody.
Following his arrest, Leon Stewart was held without bail. In July 2018, he accepted a plea deal and pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter. In September of that same year, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge sentenced Stewart, then 26, to nine years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. At the sentencing, the judge noted Stewart's youth and the irreversible nature of his actions, stating that the nine-year sentence was appropriate. Stewart was given credit for the time he had served in jail since his arrest in 2016. The judge also agreed to assign him to a facility where he could pursue educational and trade programs.
