Collin Potter Admits to Brutal DC Stabbing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A Quantico, Virginia man has admitted to a particularly brutal act of violence in the nation’s capital. Collin Potter, 30, pled guilty to second-degree murder while armed in the 2019 death of Vongell Lugo, a Washington, D.C. resident. The details, laid bare in court documents, paint a disturbing picture of unprovoked savagery.

According to evidence presented by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Potter attacked Lugo inside the victim’s apartment at 2844 Wisconsin Ave., N.W., on January 6, 2019, at approximately 4:00 a.m. The victim, described as 5’6” and 167 pounds, was reportedly unarmed when Potter launched the assault. What began as an attack quickly escalated into a horrific ordeal.

The government’s evidence details a relentless attack. Potter grabbed a kitchen knife from Lugo’s own kitchen and stabbed the victim a staggering 42 times – in the head, neck, and torso. The autopsy also revealed Potter had punched Lugo in the face at some point during the assault. Lugo, outnumbered and overwhelmed, offered no effective defense, reportedly only yelling for help. Those cries pierced the early morning silence, alerting two neighbors who independently dialed 911 around 4:14 a.m.

The scene discovered by MPD officers was gruesome. After the attack, Potter attempted to clean the bloodied knife in the kitchen sink. He then dragged Lugo’s naked body into the hallway, where officers found both men. Potter himself was naked, uninjured, and coated in the victim’s blood. He was arrested at the scene and has remained in custody ever since.

Potter’s guilty plea, entered in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, carries a potential sentence of 14 to 16 years imprisonment. The Honorable Marisa J. Demeo is scheduled to hand down the sentence on April 14, 2023. This case, while closed with the guilty plea, serves as a stark reminder of the violence that continues to plague the nation’s capital.

U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee III of the MPD praised the work of the investigators and prosecutors involved in securing the conviction. Special recognition was given to Paralegal Specialist Stephanie Siegerist, Victim/Witness Advocate Karina Hernandez, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nebiyu Feleke, Christian Natiello, Peter V. Roman, and Deputy Chief Laura Bach for their dedication to bringing Potter to justice.