A jury found Johnathan Dawkins guilty of voluntary manslaughter while armed in connection with the stabbing death of Dwayne Brisbon after two days of deliberations.
Brisbon, 33, was found stabbed in a crashed car at the 500 block of Florida Avenue Northwest around 2:15 a.m. on May 1, 2012. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
During the four day trial, prosecutors argued that Dawkins escalated a fist fight between the two men when he pulled out his knife.
Dawkins testified that he was in fear for his life when he stabbed Brisbon. Defense attorneys argued he was acting in self-defense because another witness in the prosecution’s case, Daniel Cheek, held Dawkins while Brisbon punched him repeatedly.
Dawkins, who has been released under high intensity supervision, will return to jail to to await his sentencing hearing scheduled for Aug. 8 at 11:00 a.m. in front of Judge Russell Canan.
A press release from the United States Attorney’s Office has been added below.
Man Found Guilty of Voluntary Manslaughter While Armed
In May 2012 Stabbing in Northwest Washington
Defendant Started Argument, Leading to AltercationWASHINGTON - Jonathan Dawkins, 32, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of voluntary manslaughter while armed in the stabbing of a man in May 2012 in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
The verdict was returned in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, following a three-day trial. The Honorable Russell F. Canan scheduled sentencing for Aug. 8, 2014. Dawkins faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison.
According to the government’s evidence, on May 1, 2012, at about 2:15 a.m., the victim, Dwayne Brisbon, 33, was stabbed to death in the 400 block of Florida Avenue NW. Mr. Brisbon, a CT scan technician at Washington Hospital Center, was on his way home from Marvin, a bar and restaurant in the 2000 block of 14th Street NW. On his way home, Mr. Brisbon pulled his car over to check on a person he recognized from the establishment.
Dawkins, who was walking with the person, became upset and aggressively approached Mr. Brisbon’s car. Dawkins began arguing with Mr. Brisbon. Mr. Brisbon eventually got out of his car and walked to the rear of the car, where Dawkins met him. Mr. Brisbon punched Dawkins, and the two continued to fight. During the fight, Dawkins stabbed Mr. Brisbon in the upper left bicep and the neck, piercing his carotid artery and jugular vein.
Dawkins then fled the scene while Mr. Brisbon got back in his car in an attempt to drive himself to the hospital. Mr. Brisbon lost consciousness within seconds, and crashed into Shaw’s Tavern in the 500 block of Florida Avenue NW. Surveillance video from Shaw’s Tavern captured the defendant and the person who was with him just minutes before the murder.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of members of the Metropolitan Police Department, who investigated the case. U.S. Attorney Machen also thanked those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Mia Beamon and Kelly Blakeney; Victim/Witness Services Coordinators La June Thames and Katina Adams-Washington; Litigation Support Specialist Kimberly Smith; Criminal Investigator Durand Odom; and Victim Witness Specialist Tamara Ince. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Holly Shick and Veronica Sanchez, who prosecuted the case.
