Defendant Sentenced to Ten Years for Botched Robbery, Homicide

By Sam Chodorow - May 6, 2024
Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A judge sentenced a homicide defendant to ten years of incarceration after hearing victim impact statements from the victim’s family and friends.

Deon Walters, 20, was sentenced after taking a plea agreement in which he pleaded guilty to one count of voluntary manslaughter for his involvement in an October 1, 2020 shooting that left Arthur Daniels IV, 42, dead. The incident occurred on the 6000 block of 8th Street, NW.

Walters was originally charged with one count of first degree murder while armed before accepting a plea offer in February.

According to prosecutors, Walters and a co-defendant had contacted Daniels to purchase firearms, but instead set him up to rob him. “He had four-and-a-half hours to think about it,” counsel said. 

“He looked up to the victim like a father,” said the prosecutor during the sentencing on May 3. 

The prosecutor then showed surveillance video and audio of Daniels begging Walters not to shoot him. The video concluded  with a shot being fired, and Daniels moaning in pain while Walters and his co-defendant ran away. 

Prosecutors also shared screenshots of Walters’ Instagram messages and posts, in which the defendant was inquiring about buying a gun, and was seen multiple times showing off a handgun on the day of the shooting.

During the May 3 sentencing, several members of Daniels’ family spoke of their loss and the impact of losing their loved one to violence. His mother explained that she was told she “wasn’t supposed to be able to have children.” 

“He was a miracle child,” she said. “Mr. Walters and others were involved in murdering and taking him away from me and my husband, his sister, and his children.” 

Daniels’ mother  concluded her impact statement by explaining that Walters’ maximum sentence of 11 years was “nowhere near enough.” “You took a father from his family, a son from his mother. There’s no time to heal all, it doesn’t,” Daniels’ eldest daughter said.

Daniels’ youngest daughter explained that while her father was not perfect, “he was repairing what he couldn’t give me when I was younger, and you took that from me. I hope you rot,” she said, “and that nothing good comes to you.”

Daniels’ uncle concluded the victim’s impact statements by looking Walters in the eye, and explaining that it was crazy to him that his family was in this situation. 

“You see it in the news all the time, people getting killed, and you think, what’s going on?” he said. “You steal from and kill him because you won’t be disrespected? That’s weak.”

Daniels’ sister and two cousins also shared statements.

In Walters’ defense, Sylvia Smith, one of the defendant’s attorneys, explained that Walters was only 17 at the time of the shooting, and that he was working to change his ways. 

“He has worked very hard to turn his life around,” she said. “While in jail, he has earned his diploma.”

She also argued Walters did not pull the trigger and said there were others involved. She reminded the court that in the video shown by prosecutors, Walters could be heard clearly trying to deescalate the situation.

She also argued that her client was on electronic GPS monitoring for a separate matter at the time of the shooting, and that it could’ve been prevented had law enforcement done their job better.

When asked if he had anything to say before DC Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan handed down his sentence, Walters apologized, explaining that by accepting the plea agreement, he was taking responsibility for his actions.

“I can’t imagine the strength it takes to speak after such a loss,” Judge Raffinan said. “Nothing I can say or do, no sentence I can impose that can bring back your father, your son, and your brother.”

Along with the 10-year sentence, Judge Raffinan also sentenced Walters to one-and-a-half years of probation, and five years of supervised release. 

He will also receive credit for time served and be required to register as a gun offender upon release, pay $100 to the Victims of Violent Crime Fund (VVCF), and follow an intervention plan to prevent similar behavior in the future.

Smith also requested that her client be evaluated for Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) sentencing. However, Judge Raffinan denied the request, stating that Walters must successfully complete his probation and supervised release. 

Additionally, Smith requested that DNA testing not be part of her client’s intervention plan, stating that it was a “brazen violation of his civil and constitutional rights.”