A D.C. man faces future sentencing after jurors convicted him for blatantly pointing a loaded handgun at his stepfather during a heated argument earlier this year. 27-year-old Nashawn Marshall was pronounced guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, among other undisclosed charges, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
The trial unfolded at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, where it was disclosed that the conflict occurred in a family apartment on the morning of February 1. Statements from the prosecutor's office indicated that Marshall's parents were left with no choice but to escape the situation and solicit immediate aid from nearby law enforcement upon encountering the threat. As a result of their prompt escape and the assistance of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Marshall found himself apprehended in an adjacent building, holding a handgun that matched the one described by his stepping back from the brink.
The verdict is the capstone to an investigation spearheaded by the MPD and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Emphasizing the gravity of domestic conflicts escalating to violence, the Honorable Errol Arthur has set a date for sentencing on September 30. The prosecution's efforts were helmed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Hyde and Sarah Roessler from the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Unit, pointing to the case's sensitive nature.
In their statement, the U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves and MPD Chief Pamela Smith elaborated on the jury's decision, made in light of the evidence and the sequence of events that unfurled the day of the incident. Details from the arrest indicated that the weapon was located in a crawl space, dangling as both confirmation of Marshall's guilt and the presence of real danger in the domestic sphere.
