Wayne Jackson, Harold Proctor, and Christopher Williams were sentenced to prison terms Friday for their involvement in the Dec. 2011 stabbing death of 20-year-old Kevin Blackwell Jr.
Judge Ronna Beck sentenced Jackson to the longest term – 24 years. Williams received a 22-year sentence, and Proctor was sentenced to 19 years in prison.
The three men pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and conspiracy charges in connection with Blackwell’s death in November; Williams and Proctor also pled guilty to obstruction of justice.
Williams, who orchestrated the attack on Blackwell, expressed regret Friday.
According to the plea agreements signed by each party, Williams and Proctor had been robbed several months prior to their attack on Blackwell, and they believed that Blackwell had arranged that robbery.
“I apologize to the Blackwell family; I’m honestly sorry,” Williams said. “I never meant for Kevin to die. I just wanted him to feel how I felt when I was robbed. Please forgive me.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Nielsen said that prosecutors didn’t know if Blackwell had been responsible for the robbery.
“The government has no evidence that K.J. setup that robbery,” Nielsen said. “Based on an assumption, they decided to retaliate.”
The plea documents say that Williams asked a fourth co-conspirator to arrange a meeting with Blackwell in order to lure him outside. When the conspirators arrived at Blackwell’s house, Williams and Jackson laid-in-wait, while Proctor sat in the car with the engine idling.
Once they saw Blackwell, Williams and Jackson chased him down on foot, and Proctor followed in the vehicle. Before he was caught, Blackwell managed to call 911; his subsequent beating was recorded. The audio was played in court Friday.
The call begins with the dispatcher asking the location of the emergency; Blackwell is unable to answer the question. Kicking and punching can be heard throughout the call.
“I don’t got nothin’,” Blackwell says.
“Don’t get up, cuz, move your hands. Give me your motherf— ”
“I don’t got nothin’”
“Work his pockets.”
“Owww!” Blackwell screams.
One defendant asks, “Where that s— at, n—?”
Another says, “Watch out, I’ma stab this n— up.”
Blackwell continues to plead, “I don’t got nothin’.”
“Move your hands, or I’ll stab your a—.”
“Come up off that North Face, cuz. I’m taking all this s—.”
Finally Blackwell says, “Alright, you can have it.”
The men continue to kick and punch Blackwell, while telling him to give them his coat. Then one of them yells that it’s time to go.
“Come on, before the police show up!”
“Nah, I’m about to stab that n—, son.”
“No! I don’t got nothin’,” Blackwell screams.
Before the call drops out, the fourth co-conspirator can be heard asking, “Are you still mad at me now?”
Blackwell died from a stab wound to the chest which punctured his heart; the conspirators took his cell phone and his North Face jacket.
“It was not a mere cut, or a mere slashing motion,” Nielsen said. “It was intent to kill.”
Blackwell’s mother, Sabrina Wilson, addressed the three defendants in court Friday.
“To have my son murdered the way he was is really a hurt feeling,” she said. “But I really and truly forgive you for what you have done. If I don’t, I wouldn’t be able to move on.”
Blackwell’s youngest sister, who is still in high school, spoke in court and said that she has turned the pain from the killing into something positive.
She said she has begun to focus more on her schoolwork and that her grades have improved. She also said that she plans to join the U.S. Air Force, something Blackwell inspired her to do.
“But I’m sad that he will never see me graduate or go to prom,” she said.
Prosecutors used Facebook messages to show that after the attack, the three defendants conspired to obstruct the police investigation. They attempted to have an anonymous caller tell police that someone else committed the murder, prosecutors said.
Before reading the terms of each sentence, Judge Beck acknowledged that the defendants each had minimal prior contact with the criminal justice system. Proctor had no criminal history, which is “very unusual” in a homicide case, Beck said.
“This is one of those cases where I wish that we had the real kind of power to reverse what happened; this is a case that I’m really saddened by,” Beck told the court. “But what’s particularly troubling is that this was an assault that was planned ahead of time, and it was very vicious.”
Sentencing documents and the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office are below.
Three Men Sentenced to Prison Terms For 2011 Stabbing in Southeast Washington
Defendants Lured Victim to Scene, Stabbed, and Robbed Him; Attack Captured on Victim’s 911 CallWASHINGTON – Wayne Jackson, 23, of Capitol Heights, Md., Harold Proctor, 20, of Upper Marlboro, Md., and Christopher Williams, 21, of Landover, Md., were sentenced today to prison terms of 24 years, 19 years, and 22 years, respectively, for the 2011 slaying of a man in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.
The defendants pled guilty in November 2012, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to second-degree murder while armed and related charges. Proctor and Williams also pled guilty to obstructing justice for their role in attempting to interfere in the murder investigation. They were sentenced by the Honorable Ronna L. Beck. Upon completion of their prison terms, the defendants will be placed on five years of supervised release.
At the sentencings today, Judge Beck noted the viciousness of the murder, and expressed sympathy for the victim’s family.
According to the government’s evidence, on Dec. 17, 2011, the defendants and a co-conspirator, who previously pled guilty in this case, devised a plan to rob and assault the victim, Kevin Blackwell, Jr., 20. Proctor drove Williams, Jackson, and the co-conspirator to the 900 block of Burns Street SE, and the co-conspirator lured the victim outside. Armed with a knife and brass knuckles, Williams and Jackson got out of the car and waited to ambush Mr. Blackwell. Proctor and the co-conspirator kept the car idling nearby.
At about 10:30 p.m., when Mr. Blackwell came into sight, Williams and Jackson chased him down the street. Mr. Blackwell tripped and fell to the ground, and Williams and Jackson attacked him with the knife and brass knuckles. Proctor drove the car to the location where the victim fell, got out of the car, and joined in the attack. Jackson stabbed the victim in the chest.
During the attack, Mr. Blackwell was able to call 911 on his cell phone and the robbery and murder were captured on the 911 call.The defendants took Mr. Blackwell’s cell phone and North Face jacket and fled the area. Proctor drove the defendants and the co-conspirator away from the scene and back into Maryland. The next day, the victim’s cell phone and North Face jacket were discovered in Proctor’s bedroom.
During the investigation into the murder, both Proctor and Williams contacted the co-conspirator and asked the co-conspirator to mislead law enforcement by blaming the other for the murder. Williams also threatened the co-conspirator if the co-conspirator “snitched.”
In announcing the sentences, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work of the detectives, officers, and crime scene technicians who investigated the case for the Metropolitan Police Department. He also commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Ethel Gregory, Marian Russell, and Sandra Lane; Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman; Victim/Witness Advocate Tamara Ince, and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen recognized Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephen Gripkey and Kimberley Nielsen, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
