A Washington man has been sentenced to 10 months in jail after pleading guilty to strangling his girlfriend during an argument over a missing cell phone, an attack prosecutors say left her nearly unconscious before police arrested him the following day.
According to DC News Now, 32-year-old Marcus Hazel received the 10-month term. The U.S. Attorney's Office said Hazel pleaded guilty on Jan. 16 and that the assault happened around 9 a.m. on Nov. 28, 2025, inside an apartment on the 2700 block of New York Avenue NE.
Prosecutors' account of the assault
Court filings, as summarized in local coverage, describe a violent confrontation that escalated quickly. Hazel placed both hands around his partner’s neck, slammed her to the floor, and kept squeezing until she was nearly unconscious, according to prosecutors. He then fled the scene and was arrested the next day. Those details were reported by Shore News Network.
Strangulation now a standalone felony in D.C.
The District made strangulation a standalone felony in 2023, a shift that prosecutors and advocates say gives them more leverage to hold intimate-partner abusers accountable and seek longer sentences in serious cases. The Washington Post reported that the law raised maximum penalties and also detailed the difficulty of investigating and prosecuting strangulation, which often leaves few visible injuries despite the high risk of lethal harm.
What comes next in the case
Hazel’s 10-month sentence is well below the statutory maximum for felony strangulation. Court filings show he had been released while awaiting sentencing after his guilty plea, over the objections of prosecutors. Hoodline previously covered the plea and pre-sentencing release in a story titled Man Admits to Strangling, and the case remains assigned to the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, call 911. For support and non-emergency help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233 and offers confidential assistance to survivors and their loved ones.
