Alfred Evans, a 28-year-old man, stood before Judge Lynn Leibovitz today to take punishment for a torturous 2003 killing of a homeless drug addict which Leibovitz called incomprehensible.
Convicted twice for the murder of Reginald Brighthart, Evans was sentenced to 47 years in prison.
Said Leibovitz:
In the world where crack cocaine rules, the life of a crackhead has no value… He was a crack head and so it was fine to torment him. And when he had the nerve to fight back, that was enough [for you] to sentence him to death. You essentially told him that his life was worthless. It was beyond wrong. Beyond incomprehensible. You helped torture and execute him with his head in the toilet.
Evans’ mother cried as Leibovitz spoke, and stood up in support of her son when asked to by Evans’ defense attorney.
Evans had told court services that his delinquency and criminal history was “due to not having a good family life,” AUSA Deborah Sines told the court.
Suggesting counseling, Evan’s attorney, Elita Amato, said “his mother is in court today and she’s had her own issues that affected him growing up.”
Evans was twice found guilty of Brighthart’s 2003 murder.
After his conviction in April, USAO issued a statement reading:
According to the government’s evidence, Evans, who uses the nickname “Stink,” and Frank Johnson, who uses the nickname “J.R.,” killed the victim in the early morning hours of April 7, 2003. Evidence showed that Johnson first attacked Mr. Brighthart in front of an apartment in the 2800 block of Robinson Place SE. He and Evans then chased the victim into an abandoned apartment. Johnson and Evans forced Mr. Brighthart to put his head in a toilet and beg for his children before they shot him to death.
Evans later attempted to obstruct justice by placing phone calls from his jail cell in hopes of silencing a witness against him.
“I do feel remorse. I take responsibility for my actions,” Evans told the court at sentencing Wednesday.
Leibovitz’ sentence of 47 years is less than the 75 years suggested by prosecutors, but more than the 35 years requested by Evans’ defense. In addition to the prison term he was sentenced to eight years supervised release and ordered to pay $200 in court costs.
Press release on the case from the USAO is below:
District Man Sentenced to 47 Years in Prison For Murder, Obstruction Charges In 2003 Slaying of Homeless Man - He and Another Man Beat Victim, Then Shot Him As He Begged For His Life -
WASHINGTON - Alfred Evans, 28, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 47 years in prison on charges stemming from the April 2003 murder of a 35-year-old homeless man, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Evans was convicted by a jury in April 2011 of charges of first degree felony murder while armed and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.
According to the government’s evidence, Evans, who uses the nickname “Stink,” and Frank Johnson, who uses the nickname “J.R.,” killed the victim, Reginald Brighthart, in the early morning hours of April 7, 2003. Johnson first attacked Mr. Brighthart at an apartment in the 2800 block of Robinson Place SE, initiating the attack to degrade the victim, who was a known substance abuser. Once Mr. Brighthart was weakened, Evans joined in the attack, helping to drag the defenseless victim down a stairwell while beating him. He then handed Mr. Brighthart a towel and forced him to clean up his own blood from the hallway.
Finally, he and Johnson chased Mr. Brighthart into an abandoned apartment within the building. There, he and Johnson forced Mr. Brighthart to put his head in a toilet and beg for his children before they shot him to death.
Evans later attempted to obstruct justice by placing phone calls from his jail cell in hopes of silencing a witness against him.
Johnson, now 31, was convicted for his role in this murder following a jury trial in 2009. He was sentenced to 48 years in prison by the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the efforts of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Cold Case/Major Case Detectives Darryl Richmond and Mitchell Credle, and Mobile Crime Officers Kemper Agee, James Savage and Kevin Jeter. Detective Richmond was praised for his tenacity in investigating this case. Detectives Richmond and Credle were also lauded for obtaining two statements from Evans which proved instrumental in this verdict. U.S. Attorney Machen also commended the work of U.S. Attorney Office employees Paul Howell, Thomas (Ron) Royal, Kimberley Smith, Joshua Ellen, and William Henderson of the Litigation Support Services Unit; Paralegal Alesha Matthews Yette, and Victim Witness Assistant Unit Security Specialist Maretta L. Forrest. He further commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Deborah Sines and Michelle Jackson, who were involved in the investigation and presentation of evidence during several trials involving this murder.
