A 77-year-old Northeast Washington man was convicted of murder and a firearm offense in the 2016 shooting death of his daughter's boyfriend, 30-year-old Leo Hackett. Wilbert Whitaker is scheduled to be sentenced on January 8, 2027, more than a decade after the killing unfolded on the 800 block of 21st Street NE.
According to the FOX 5 DC report, which cites the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, Whitaker killed Hackett after the two had an argument on the morning of April 30, 2016. Hackett was dating Whitaker's daughter and living in Whitaker's house at the time, and prosecutors said the two men had been arguing for weeks, according to DC Witness. Hackett died from a gunshot wound to the left side of his chest, per the same outlet's coverage of the trial.
Police Responded Exactly One Hour Before the Shooting
Court evidence cited by FOX 5 DC indicates police had already responded to the address once that morning, after a reported family disturbance between Whitaker and Hackett. Officers reported no injuries or assaults at that earlier disturbance and left the scene without making arrests. A responding officer later testified that he arrived at 9:42 a.m. that day, saw Whitaker and Hackett arguing, and found no evidence of a crime, the DC Witness account of the trial states.
Hackett then left the house to go to work, according to the FOX 5 DC report. Court documents described in that report say Whitaker obtained and loaded a firearm from his bedroom, followed Hackett out of the house, and called out to him. As Hackett turned, Whitaker fired two shots, hitting him in the chest and killing him, the documents state. Prosecutors told jurors that Whitaker grabbed a loaded revolver and shot Hackett as he was leaving, per DC Witness.
Self-Defense Argument at Trial
Whitaker's attorney, Jennifer Chang, argued during opening statements that Whitaker believed he was about to be shot and acted in self-defense. “Thought he was going to get shot, so he defended himself,” Chang told jurors, according to DC Witness. That account offers only the trial positions taken by each side and does not provide a full picture of the evidence presented or how the jury weighed those competing narratives.
Whitaker was arrested the same day as the shooting, April 30, 2016, and was released on May 16, 2016, following a preliminary hearing, per the FOX 5 DC report. A contemporaneous account from The Washington Post from the time of the shooting reported that Whitaker was arrested and charged with second-degree murder after Hackett was killed in the 800 block of 21st Street NE.
What Comes Next
Court officials cited in the FOX 5 DC report note that a second-degree murder while armed charge carries a minimum five-year sentence when committed with a firearm. A published chart from the District of Columbia Sentencing Commission similarly lists five years as the mandatory minimum for a first offense involving a firearm, though it does not specify how that applies to Whitaker's particular conviction. Whitaker's sentencing hearing is set for January 8, 2027, when a judge will determine the length of his punishment.
