A D.C. jury has delivered a guilty verdict, convicting Amard Jefferson, 25, of Fort Washington, MD, on charges of second-degree murder while armed and obstruction of justice in the killing of 20-year-old Kendall Brown back in August 2021, a somber revelation shared by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and MPD Chief Pamela Smith.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia provided details of the case, outlining how events unfolded on that tragic day at approximately 4:28 p.m. on the 3000 block of Nelson Place, Southeast. What began as a routine situation turned deadly when Jefferson, who was not initially involved in a verbal altercation, alarmingly retrieved a firearm. In an outburst of violence, he shot Brown after she and others arrived to collect personal belongings from his girlfriend's apartment. The incident left an indelible mark on all those impacted by the senseless act of violence.
Post-crime, Jefferson concocted a plan to avoid penalty, attempting to misdirect justice by shrewdly persuading his girlfriend – via messages and calls from behind bars – to assume guilt for the attack, actions that ultimately added obstruction to his docket.
Scheduled for a Valentine’s Day sentencing in 2025, Jefferson could face up to 60 years imprisonment, Superior Court Judge Rainey Brandt presiding, her court calendar now bearing witness to the consequence of a life taken and another’s freedom hanging in the balance.
This case fell under the purview of the MPD’s Homicide Branch, tried by prosecutors Emily Kubo and Stephanie Dinan from the U.S. Attorney's Office, they're seeking justice in the wake of violence that once again has assailed the collective conscience of our community, their efforts perhaps offering a glint of resolve within the grim narrative experienced too often in the streets of D.C.
