Defendant Sentenced to 20 Years for Murder

Washington DC – Jean Paul Kearney, 36, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for 2nd degree murder while armed, and other charges, in connection with the April 4, 2021, shooting death of Dontra Harris.

According to the Government’s evidence, Kearney tailed his childhood friend, Dontra Harris, on a motorcycle on April 4, 2021, shortly before 9 p.m. They both pulled over by the side of the road and verbally argued and then went their separate ways. Kearney, who lived nearby, went back home to switch out his motorcycle for his mother’s vehicle. He then drove to the victim’s apartment building and waited for 15 minutes for the victim to return home. When the victim attempted to enter his building, Kearney ambushed him, and shot him several times in the back.

When law enforcement and paramedics arrived on scene, they located the victim near the front of the building and pronounced him dead. On May 13, 2021, when the Gun Recovery Unit executed a residential search warrant in connection with the homicide investigation, Kearney fired multiple times at the officers with an AK-47 assault rifle. Several days later, upon learning that the police had collected his cellphone during the warrant execution, Kearney provided his family member with instructions over the phone on how to remotely erase the contents of his phone.

Officers with the Metropolitan Police arrested Kearney on May 13, 2021. He has been in custody since.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police, commended the work of the MPD officers and detective who investigated the case. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Stephanie Gilbert and Debra Forte, Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Supervisory Victim/Witness Advocate Jennifer Clark; Victim/Witness Advocates Karina Hernandez and Paola Molina, Supervisory Victim Witness Service Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; and Supervisory Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling, and Litigation Technology Specialist William Henderson.

Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sitara Witanachchi and Erin DeRiso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan handed down the sentence on July 18, 2023, and also ordered five years of supervised release.

Kearney was convicted by a jury of assault on a police officer while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, obstruction of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm (prior conviction), and possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device, and pleaded guilty to second degree murder while armed on April 27, 2023.

MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS

Violent Crime

Eshun's Web of Deceit: Feds Zero In on High-Stakes Scam

Jul 1, 2023

Violent Crime

Crotty's Cash Caper Exposed

Jul 1, 2004

Violent Crime

Rodriguez, Cross-State Retail Heist, Illinois 2024

Jul 1, 2012

Violent Crime

LUKAS's Dirty Deeds Land Him in Federal Crosshairs

Jul 1, 2023