Cedric Spicer was sentenced to 23 years in prison Friday after pleading guilty last month to second-degree murder in connection with the shooting death of Joseph Hardin.
According to court documents, Hardin and his girlfriend were at “1920 Lounge,” a nightclub in Northwest D.C., in February 2013 when they got into an argument with Spicer and his female friend. They were asked to leave by the club.
Once outside, the fight escalated and Hardin was shot around 1:15 a.m. on 9th Street Northwest. Spicer was found, arrested, and charged with murder.
“February 23 is the date that I will forever be haunted by,” said Hardin’s mother, Pamela Moland. “I hope you will be haunted by it too.”
Hardin’s family spoke with anger and sadness.
“I wish I knew the guy you guys knew,” Spicer said to Hardin’s family. “Maybe then things would’ve ended different.”
Moland spoke of Spicer smiling throughout the hearings, and Spicer said, “I am sorry it looked like that. I was smiling because of the support I saw from my family here.”
Hardin’s uncle, Anthony Moland, spoke of the sentence’s length, “With good behavior, he’s going to be able to salvage some of his life. He will be back on the streets. He should remember that my nephew will never be back on the streets.”
Sentencing documents have been added to this post below.
