Yesterday, Joseph Melton, a 55-year-old DC resident, was given a 30-year prison sentence for a 2020 attack that resulted in one man dead and another injured. Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe issued the sentence, affirming Melton's guilty plea to second-degree murder while armed and an assault with a dangerous weapon, as recorded by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.

In an incident tainting the 1800 block of Connecticut Ave. NW, back in the early hours of January 14, 2020, Melton confronted a former college acquaintance, Kevin Chamberlain, brandishing a knife and attempting to stab him. Escaping narrowly, Chamberlain would only be safe for few fleeting hours. Melton, after having fled, would later proceed to attack another in the 800 block of Vermont Ave., NW; malicious intentions wielded in hand and blade, leaving the second victim injured but ultimately surviving.

However, Melton's spree didn't end with the second altercation. Approximately one hour later, he found Chamberlain again near the junction of 24th and G Streets, NW. This time, the encounter was fatal. Chamberlain was stabbed multiple times, and despite later attempts at resuscitation and care, his injuries proved insurmountable; he perished nothing short of a gruesome fate. Melton's day of violence drawing a cold and somber conclusion.

U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith of the MPD praised the efforts of the Homicide Branch of the Metropolitan Police Department, having pieced together the horrific sequence of events. Melton's actions not only claimed the life of an individual but also left indelible scars on the fabric of the community. In a statement, they also recognized the diligence of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Liebman and Andrea Antonelli, whose tireless work was instrumental in bringing the case to its somber resolution.