Donald Williams, Armed Kitchen Burglary, DC 2016

Donald Williams, 26, of Washington, D.C., forced his way into the kitchen of Gallaudet University’s food service department at gunpoint, terrorizing staff and demanding money from a safe — a violent heist captured in chilling detail through victim testimony and forensic evidence. The attack, which occurred on October 22, 2016, targeted a vulnerable workplace, exploiting familiarity and trust. Williams, a former employee, used his knowledge of the campus and routines to carry out the armed robbery.

Two of the victims, both deaf women, were physically assaulted during the robbery. Williams pointed a firearm at one and ordered her into a storage room. The other was dragged into a back office where a safe was kept. When she refused to open it, he struck her in the head with the gun, leaving a laceration. He then cornered a third deaf employee unaware of the unfolding violence, brandishing the weapon and forcing her into the same office. Under duress, both women handed over cash bundled with red bands — a detail later confirmed by Williams’ own incriminating video.

Though masked during the robbery, the victims immediately recognized similarities in his build, skin tone, mannerisms, and walk to Williams, who had been fired weeks earlier. Their identification formed a critical foundation for the investigation. Surveillance footage from the campus parking garage showed a vehicle matching Williams’ entering around the time of the crime. A man seen exiting — dressed exactly as described — walked toward the food service building. That image, combined with the victims’ accounts, set police on a fast track.

Metropolitan Police Department investigators recovered damning digital evidence: a video from Williams’ phone recorded just over three hours after the robbery, showing him pouring stacks of cash into a bathroom sink, the bundles secured with red bands identical to those described by the victims. Even more damning, a black mask left at the scene tested positive for Williams’ DNA. The forensic match sealed the case. Williams was arrested on December 20, 2016, and today pleaded guilty to first-degree burglary while armed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.

He faces a statutory minimum of five years in prison, with sentencing guidelines suggesting 102 to 192 months behind bars. Judge Danya A. Dayson will deliver the final sentence on March 23, 2017. Prosecutors emphasized the calculated nature of the crime — targeting a university known for serving the deaf and hard of hearing — and the trauma inflicted on employees who once considered Williams a colleague.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips praised the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences’ Biology Unit, and Sorensen Forensics for their roles in building the case. He also recognized Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shana Fulton and Tamika Griffin, Special Counsel Michael Ambrosino, and Victim Witness Advocates Diana Lim, Katina Adams-Washington, and LaJune Thames. The conviction stands as a stark reminder: betrayal and violence in the workplace leave wounds that outlast any prison sentence.

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