WASHINGTON - Irvin Johnson, 26, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of killing two men and wounding another, and shooting at a fourth man, in a pair of shootings that took place within weeks in 2011, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.
Johnson was found guilty of a total of 15 charges following a two-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. They include two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, and numerous related firearms offenses. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for April 25, 2013. Johnson could face more than 100 years in prison for the various offenses.
According to the government’s evidence, the violence stemmed from a longstanding dispute between Johnson and the victims, stemming from a robbery that Johnson had committed against one of their friends in 2008. During the evening hours of June 21, 2011, Johnson and an associate entered the 1500 block of Spring Place NW and shot at a man. No one was injured during the shooting, but a number of cars and buildings in the block were damaged.
Nearly three weeks later, in the early morning hours of July 9, 2011, in the 1400 block of Parkwood Place NW, Johnson ambushed and executed by shooting in the head Jimmie Simmons, 32, and Dominique Barbour, 31. The defendant also shot Anthony Thomas, then 21, in the head and chest. Miraculously, Mr. Thomas survived. Sadly, after a year of struggling from the injuries inflicted by the defendant, Mr. Thomas took his own life.
Immediately after the shooting, Johnson went on the run. He hid at friends’ homes in Washington, D.C., and eventually fled to a relative’s house in Lusby, Md., where he was apprehended by the Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force on Sept. 9, 2011.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Machen praised the outstanding investigative work of the Metropolitan Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service, including the Superior Court Warrant Squad; the Capitol Area Regional Fugitive Task Force; the Maryland State Police; the Maryland Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. He also thanked Dr. Carolyn Revercomb formerly of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia, as well as the Court Supervision and Offender Services Agency. U.S. Attorney Machen acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialists Alesha Matthews, Meridith McGarrity, Sandra Lane, Sharon Newman, and Fern Rhedrick; Intelligence Analysts Lawrence Grasso and Sharon Johnson; Criminal Investigators Tommy Miller and Durand Odom; Witness Security Specialists David Foster, La June Thames, and Debra Cannon; Litigation Services Specialists Joshua Ellen, William Henderson and Paul Howell, and Victim Advocates Marcey Rinker and Christina Principe for their support.
Finally, he acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin O. Lyons, who investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lyons and Glenn L. Kirschner, who tried the case.
13-062
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
