In a recent verdict that has concluded a lengthy legal battle, Eugene Burns, 32, of Washington D.C., has been found guilty of the first-degree murder of his best friend. Burns has also been convicted, alongside his cousin Tyre Allen, 24, of conspiracy and obstruction of justice connected to the case. reports U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced the findings of the Superior Court jury.
Burns is to face the possibility of life imprisonment at his sentencing, which Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo has scheduled for January 31, 2025. Allen could potentially see up to 30 years behind bars. The convictions on October 24 and October 28, 2024, come after a five-week trial, during which the jury found Burns guilty on multiple counts, including armed first-degree murder and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence; Allen was convicted of conspiring to prematurely obstruct the course of justice.
These recent convictions follow a tumultuous history of past proceedings: Burns was previously convicted of the murder in 2017, a decision later overturned on appeal in 2020. Subsequent to the appeal, Burns and Allen engaged in a scheme to obstruct justice—a calculated move to have a witness recant their testimony with a false affidavit. That affidavit threw the previous conviction into question, spurring this most recent trial.
Details of the original incident, dating back to November 14, 2015, reveal that Burns had fatally shot his best friend, Onyekachi Emmanuel Osuchukwu III, four times in Burns's mother's apartment. Burns left the scene only to return the next day with family members, reportedly to discover the body alongside them in a deceptive maneuver to cover his tracks. Evidence revealed in the trial suggested that Burns had been plotting to swiftly carry out the killing for several days prior.
The Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch led the investigation into the murder, alongside contributions from the ATF Washington Division and investigators from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Assistant United States Attorneys Charles R. Jones and Sharon Donovan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia handled the prosecution.
