WASHINGTON D.C. – A D.C. man is headed to prison for a calculated and violent robbery at Gallaudet University. Donald Williams, 26, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to eight and a half years behind bars for holding up the food service department kitchen at gunpoint, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced. The brazen act left two employees traumatized and underscores the escalating boldness of criminals in the nation’s capital.
The robbery unfolded on October 22, 2016, when Williams, a former employee, stormed into the kitchen in the 800 block of Florida Avenue NE. He immediately brandished a firearm, forcing two female employees to the rear of the kitchen. One victim was shoved into a storage room, the other—who is deaf—into an office containing a safe. Williams then escalated the violence, striking the deaf victim in the head with the gun when she refused to open the safe, leaving her with a laceration. He then targeted a third deaf employee, forcing her to comply.
What’s particularly chilling is the identification. Despite wearing a mask, both victims who were forced to open the safe were able to pinpoint Williams as their attacker. They told investigators his build, skin tone, lean physique, mannerisms, and even his gait were consistent with their former colleague, who had been fired from Gallaudet weeks prior. The fact that these victims, communicating through different means, were able to identify him speaks volumes about the distinctiveness of his physical presence.
The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) built a solid case, corroborating the victims’ accounts with damning evidence. Surveillance footage showed a vehicle matching Williams’ entering the campus parking garage around the time of the crime. More incriminatingly, investigators discovered a video on Williams’ cell phone, recorded just three and a half hours after the robbery, showing him dumping a large sum of cash—bundled with red bands matching the victims’ description—into a bathroom sink. A black mask recovered at the scene also bore Williams’ DNA.
Williams ultimately pled guilty in January 2017 to first-degree burglary while armed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Danya A. Dayson handed down the 8½-year sentence, followed by three years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the MPD’s work, along with the efforts of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences and Sorensen Forensics. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Shana Fulton and Tamika Griffin led the prosecution.
This case serves as a stark reminder that even institutions dedicated to communication and understanding are not immune to violent crime. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this story and report on the justice system’s response to the escalating wave of violence plaguing the District.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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