Wade & Bailey Get Decades for SE DC Slaying

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A fistfight turned fatal in Southeast Washington, and two men are now paying the price. Anthony Wade, 30, of Washington, D.C., and his uncle, Antwain Bailey, 47, of Temple Hills, Md., received hefty prison sentences today for their roles in the brutal killing of Aubrey Dansbury last year. U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced Wade will spend 20 years behind bars, while Bailey received a 13-year term.

Both men pleaded guilty in January 2017 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Wade admitted to second-degree murder while armed, and Bailey confessed to voluntary manslaughter while armed. The deals, subject to court approval, stipulated a 15-24 year range for Wade and a fixed 13-year sentence for Bailey. Judge Milton C. Lee accepted the pleas and handed down the sentences as agreed upon. Following their time in prison, both men will face five years of supervised release and will be required to register as gun offenders.

The evidence presented by the government paints a grim picture of the events leading up to the March 9, 2016, killing. The trouble began with a verbal dispute between Bailey and Dansbury inside an apartment on the 800 block of Chesapeake Street SE. Wade, alerted by his uncle, called Bailey to relay his location. Wade then intentionally walked outside, drawing Dansbury out with him. A physical altercation quickly erupted, with neighbors attempting – and failing – to intervene.

The situation escalated rapidly when Bailey drove onto the block in a black Lexus sedan. Wade ran to meet his uncle, and as the fight between Wade and Dansbury resumed, Bailey directly aided Wade. He walked Wade to the front of the car and handed him a firearm. Wade immediately opened fire on Dansbury, who was standing near the Lexus. The gun initially jammed after two shots, but Bailey intervened again, unjamming the weapon and returning it to Wade. Wade then continued to fire repeatedly, chasing Dansbury around the vehicle. Dansbury, seeking refuge, climbed into the back seat of the Lexus, only to be met with further gunfire. He fell out onto the sidewalk.

Bailey then got behind the wheel, Wade jumped into the back seat, and the pair fled the scene. Aubrey Dansbury, just 27 years old, succumbed to his gunshot wounds on March 17, 2016. This wasn’t a heat-of-the-moment crime; it was a calculated act of violence fueled by anger and a willingness to use deadly force. The evidence clearly demonstrated the coordinated effort between Wade and Bailey to arm themselves and then execute Dansbury.

U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) for their thorough investigation. He also acknowledged the contributions of Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim, Paralegal Specialist Lashone Samuels, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adrienne Dedjinou, Matthew Massey, and Allessandra Stewart, who skillfully investigated and prosecuted the case, bringing these dangerous men to justice. The streets of Southeast DC are a little safer today, but the loss of Aubrey Dansbury remains a stark reminder of the brutal realities of gun violence.