WASHINGTON - Gary Proctor, 41, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty by a jury today of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, and carrying a pistol without a license, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Proctor was found guilty following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Danya Dayson scheduled sentencing for Dec. 13, 2019. Proctor faces a potential sentence of life in prison without parole.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 27, 2015, at approximately 4:40 p.m., Proctor entered the residence of the victim, Jerome “Beanie" Diggs, at 1360 First Street, SW, and fired 8 shots, striking the decedent 7 times. The defendant ran out of the house, leaving the victim for dead. But decedent managed to pick up the phone and call his sister, telling her that their cousin, “Little Gary" Proctor, had just shot him. When his sister asked why he didn’t call for help, he stated that he did not think he was going to make it, and he wanted someone to know what happened to him. The sister hung up with Beanie and instantly called 911, where she relayed what Beanie had told her. Meanwhile, Beanie, still clinging to life, crawled out the back door of his home where he was spotted by several neighbors who also called for help. One of these neighbors heard Beanie state “Lil Gary" was the person who shot him. Diggs lost consciousness shortly thereafter and died later that day from his wounds. Proctor was arrested pursuant to a warrant the very next day and has been held in custody ever since.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those investigating the case from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Jackson, John Timmer and Chrisellen Kolb; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Lesley Slade; Supervisory Security Specialists Laverne Perry, Tanya Via, and Wanda Queen; Administrative Services Specialist Karen Lee-Putt; Supervisory Paralegal Sharon Newman; Paralegals Kelly Blakeney and Meridith McGarrity; Victim Advocate Marcia Rinker; Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling; Information Technology Specialist Jeanie Latimore-Brown; Interns Jared Andre and Jennifer Kenel; and Investigative Analyst Zach McMenamin.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey Nestler, who investigated the case, and Gilead Light and Alicia Long, who prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
