U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith sentenced Brandon Smith, 38, of Washington, D.C., to 20 years in prison today for the killing of 43-year-old Charles Stanton on July 4, 2023. In addition to the prison sentence, Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo imposed five years of supervised release and required him to register as a gun offender.
Smith pleaded guilty to second-degree murder while armed on February 4, 2024. According to the government’s evidence, at around 4:28 p.m. on July 4, 2023, police received a 911 call reporting a shooting in the unit block of Patterson Street, Northeast, Washington, D.C. Officers came and discovered Mr. Stanton laying in the street with many gunshot wounds to his torso. He was unconscious and didn’t breathe. Despite all efforts to save his life, Mr. Stanton died from his injuries at 4:40 p.m. We then discovered that he had at least 13 gunshot wounds.
Investigators reviewed video security evidence from sites near and around the crime scene that showed the defendant’s car in the unit block of Patterson Street, NE, before the shooting. The victim was sitting on a bicycle on the north side of the street, interacting with someone in another car. The video shows Mr. Stanton riding away from that vehicle and approaching the defendant’s car. A short time later, the defendant left his automobile and began a conversation with the deceased. After a few minutes of conversation, the defendant reached into his pants for a revolver, took a few steps toward Mr. Stanton, and extended his right arm toward him as he attempted to flee on his bicycle. A surveillance camera recorded Mr. Stanton falling from his bicycle to the ground and never getting back up. The defendant approached Mr. Stanton and continued to shoot the victim, who lay helpless and defenseless on the ground. We found no weapons on the decedent’s person or near his body. The defendant then returned to his vehicle and drove away from the area.
Detectives were able to get the defendant’s license plate number from the security film, resulting in his identification and arrest.
The MPD Homicide Branch investigated this case. Nebiyu Feleke, an assistant US attorney, prosecuted the case.