David Bright, Execution-Style Double Murder, D.C. 2024

David Bright, 31, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to two counts of second-degree murder while armed in the execution-style killings of his housemates, Clifton Francis, 51, and David Watkins, 45, inside their shared rooming house in Northeast D.C. The plea, entered in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, marks the end of a two-year legal process stemming from a February 2016 rampage that left two men dead and a third fearing for his life.

On February 18, 2016, at approximately 12:55 p.m., Bright returned to the home in the 500 block of 58th Street NE, where he lived with four others. Surveillance and witness accounts detail how he went upstairs to his room, then charged down the stairs, gun drawn, and opened fire on Francis, who was seated on a couch watching TV. Witnesses say Francis was hit multiple times in the chest and head and collapsed instantly.

Watkins, seated nearby, shouted, “What are you doing, are you crazy?” before Bright turned the weapon on him and fired, striking him in the chest. Despite his wounds, Watkins crawled to his bedroom and screamed for help. Another housemate, in the kitchen, came face-to-face with Bright, who pointed the gun at his head. The man fled and locked himself in a bedroom as Bright fled the scene.

Bright was apprehended the next day, February 19, 2016, at 10:40 a.m., outside a barbershop in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. He had just shaved off his dreadlocks in an apparent attempt to alter his appearance. The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force took him into custody, and he has remained behind bars since. Officers later searched his Mitsubishi Galant and recovered a Glock 22 .40-caliber firearm, 91 rounds of ammunition, and three magazines—two full, one empty.

Francis and Watkins were both pronounced dead at the scene from multiple gunshot wounds. The forensic investigation, led by the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, confirmed the cause and manner of death. The weapon recovered from Bright’s car was matched to shell casings found at the crime scene.

The plea agreement calls for a 33-year prison sentence, pending court approval. Sentencing is scheduled for May 11, 2018, before the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu praised the Metropolitan Police Department, the Fugitive Task Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley C. Nielsen, who prosecuted the case. Victim support was provided by Victim/Witness Advocate Jim Brennan and former Paralegal Specialist Kendra Johnson.