On a cold Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Washington, D.C., 22-year-old Kevin Owens, a male resident of Southeast D.C., found his life abruptly ended. It was around 2 p.m. on January 19, 2015, when violence shattered the peace of the 3400 block of 13th Place SE. Owens was sitting in the driver's seat of his parked car when two armed individuals approached his vehicle from behind and opened fire.
The quiet street was suddenly alive with the sound of multiple gunshots.
The assailants, later identified as Markell Alston, 23, and Darryl Malloy, 21, both of Washington, D.C., unleashed a barrage of bullets at Owens. He was struck seven times and was later found on the street next to the driver's side of his car. The motive for this brutal act stemmed from a personal conflict; Alston was reportedly enraged that Owens had begun dating the mother of two of his children. Alston and Malloy, who were close friends, decided to take matters into their own hands on that holiday afternoon.
The investigation into Kevin Owens' death moved swiftly, aided by a high-definition surveillance camera that had been installed in the area by the Metropolitan Police Department. The footage captured the entire tragic event, providing crucial evidence for law enforcement. Just four days after the shooting, on January 23, 2015, arrests were made in the case. Markell Alston and Darryl Malloy were taken into custody and charged with the murder of Kevin Owens.
In June 2016, both Alston and Malloy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed. In addition to the murder charge, both men also pleaded guilty to other unrelated charges of assault with a dangerous weapon. On September 23, 2016, the two men were sentenced for their roles in the death of Kevin Owens. A judge sentenced both Markell Alston and Darryl Malloy to 26 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, bringing a close to the legal chapter of a senseless act of violence.
