Matthew M. Graves U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
Eugene Burns, a 32-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for the murder of Onyekachi Emmanuel Osuchukwu III and conspiracy to influence a witness. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., alongside Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo sentenced Tyre Allen, aged 24 and also from Washington, D.C., to three years in prison for his involvement in the case.
On October 24, 2024, Burns was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on charges including first-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. Additionally, he was convicted of carrying a pistol without a license. Burns was on release from another case pending before the D.C. Superior Court at the time of the murder.
Both Burns and Allen were found guilty on October 28, 2024, of conspiracy to obstruct justice and other related charges involving obstruction through corrupt persuasion and due administration.
The evidence presented by the government showed that on November 14, 2015, Burns lured Osuchukwu to an apartment on 2nd Street Southeast in Washington, D.C., where he shot him four times. Previously convicted for this murder in 2017, Burns had his conviction overturned on appeal in 2020.
Following this reversal, Burns and his cousin Allen conspired to obstruct justice by influencing a witness to sign a false affidavit recanting prior testimony incriminating Burns.
U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the investigation efforts by various agencies including the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch and other federal entities. They also acknowledged former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Willoughby and Kevin Flynn for their contributions to the case along with Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles R. Jones and Sharon Donovan who prosecuted it.
