Washington – Rakeem Willis, the 31-year-old District Man, has been handed a 120-year prison term for his involvement in a triple homicide that shocked Southeast Washington.
The sentence was announced by Superior Court Judge J. Michael Ryan after Willis was found guilty of three counts of first-degree murder while armed and fleeing law enforcement on November 16, 2022. The jury reached this verdict following a trial at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
Willis is accused of luring Sean Shuler, 26, Javon Abney, 26, and Tyrik Hagood, 24, to a dead-end street in the 1500 block of Fort Davis Place SE on January 26, 2019. There, they were gunned down by unknown gunmen. The victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while a stolen Lexus sedan used in the crime was later discovered burning across the Maryland state line off I-295.
Willis was arrested following a vehicle pursuit on June 11, 2019, and has remained in custody since. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department, commended the work of those who investigated the case. They also expressed gratitude to the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force and the FBI’s Cellular Analysis Survey Team for their support.
In addition to the investigation team’s efforts, the officials acknowledged the contributions of key individuals within the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Lindsey Merikas, Lashone Samuels, Tasha Harris, Jennifer Clark, Katina Adams-Washington, LaJune Thames, Maenylie Watson, Zachary McMenamin, Leif Hickling, and Charlie Bruce.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Spence and Ariel Dean were also commended for their roles in investigating and prosecuting the case against Willis.
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Key Facts
- State: Washington DC
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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