Matthew M. Graves U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
Lamont Stephenson, a 50-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been indicted on charges of first-degree murder while armed and cruelty to animals. The indictment is related to an incident that occurred in Southeast Washington in March 2019. U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) announced the charges.
Stephenson was allegedly involved in these offenses while evading capture for a previous crime committed in October 2014, which involved the killing of his then-fiancée and her dog. He has since pleaded guilty to those charges and received a sentence exceeding 30 years.
The indictment specifies that Stephenson is accused of stabbing Natina Kiah and strangling her cat on March 6, 2019. He was brought to Washington, D.C., and arraigned on February 14, 2025, before Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman.
U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith acknowledged the efforts of the Metropolitan Police Department investigators working on this case. They also recognized Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Merikas for her role in investigating and prosecuting.
It is important to note that an indictment is a formal accusation that does not establish guilt; every defendant is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.
