SHOCKING TRAGEDY: Richard Dyson, 57, of Washington D.C., has pleaded guilty to the cold-blooded murder of his ex-girlfriend, Donnella Bryan, 63. The gruesome discovery was made in a Hechinger Mall dumpster back in April 2025.
Dyson’s guilty plea came on October 7th, 2025, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia for one count of second-degree murder. Under the plea agreement, he faces up to 24 years behind bars. The sentence is set for December 12th before Judge Michael Ryan.
The government’s evidence paints a chilling picture: On April 15, 2025, Dyson struck Bryan in the head and suffocated her with a sock at Press House Apartments in Northeast D.C. He then purchased a large container from Home Depot and disposed of the body with an accomplice’s help into a mall dumpster.
Bryan’s body was found on April 19, 2025, just one day before Easter Sunday. Dyson was arrested on June 11th, 2025, and has been in custody since.
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro in announcing the plea. The case was investigated by the MPD and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Cocuzza.
This harrowing event went unpublishable at first due to a government shutdown, but it is now available to the public.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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