Defendant Repeatedly Stabbed Victim in Mid-Day Attack
WASHINGTON - Malik Bilal, 41 of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 22 years in prison on charges stemming from the murder of a co-worker during a confrontation that took place in broad daylight in July 2014, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips and Peter Newsham, Interim Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Bilal was found guilty in November 2016, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, of second-degree murder while armed and carrying a dangerous weapon. He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee. Upon completion of his prison term, Bilal will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 6, 2014, Bilal and the victim, Alonzo Gregory Beasley, 52, were assigned to a construction work crew in Northeast Washington. Throughout the day, the two men verbally argued over how to use the tools and the construction job itself. In mid-afternoon, Bilal got into his white pick-up truck and drove with two other workers to the work crew manager’s apartment complex at 22d and I Streets NE, while Mr. Beasley followed in another car. When they arrived, Bilal stayed in his truck while the rest of the crew sat across the street to wait for the manager.
At one point, according to the government’s evidence, Mr. Beasley walked over to Bilal’s truck to grab a beverage from the truck bed. Bilal got out and yelled at Mr. Beasley not to touch his truck. He then produced a knife and began stabbing Mr. Beasley, who was unarmed. Mr. Beasley tried to get away, repeatedly telling Bilal that he was sorry and “Don’t do this." However, Bilal pursued Mr. Beasley and stabbed him multiple times before finally plunging the knife into Mr. Beasley’s neck. Bilal then walked back to his truck and drove away. Bystanders called 911 and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services immediately responded. Mr. Beasley was taken to a hospital, where he died soon afterward.
That evening, Bilal went to his neighborhood and parked his truck several blocks away from where he lived. Bilal shaved his head and beard, gathered a bag of clothes, and walked to his girlfriend’s house, where he spent the night. The next day, Bilal went back to his house to get more of his belongings and saw that his truck was gone. Bilal called 911 to report that his truck was stolen and that he last saw it on July 4th. However, seemingly unbeknownst to Bilal, MPD homicide detectives found the truck the night before, obtained a search warrant, and towed the truck to the District of Columbia Department of Forensics Sciences garage. Mr. Beasley’s DNA subsequently was found on the driver’s door armrest inside of the truck. The murder weapon was never found. Bilal was arrested on July 8, 2014, and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips and Interim Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the Forensic Science Laboratory and the Crime Scene Sciences Divisions of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences, as well as Bode Cellmark Forensics and Signature Science, LLC. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorney George A. Pace, who investigated the case; Victim/Witness Advocate Marcia Rinker; Paralegal Specialists Meridith McGarrity and Stephanie Gilbert; former Supervisory Victim/Witness Program Specialist Michael Hailey; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator David Foster; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin, and Litigation Technology Specialist Leif Hickling.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenn Kirschner and Katherine Earnest, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
