Matthew M. Graves U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia
James G. Walker, a 67-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on charges related to a fatal fire incident. The court convicted Walker on two counts of second-degree murder and 27 criminal building code violations following the deaths of Fitsum Kebede and Yafet Solomen.
Walker was initially indicted on January 16, 2020, facing charges including involuntary manslaughter and multiple building code violations. The indictment was overseen by Superior Court Judge Ronna L. Beck.
According to evidence presented by the government, Walker owned a commercial property at 708 Kennedy Street, N.W., which he operated as an illegal rooming house without a certificate of occupancy. The property violated several fire safety codes; rooms were inadequately sized or lacked windows, and smoke alarms were either absent or non-functional. A significant violation included obstructed escape routes due to security gates requiring keys from both sides.
The Metropolitan Police Department had previously warned Walker about these hazardous conditions on March 21, 2019, instructing him to rectify them and seek inspection for residential use—a directive he ignored.
On August 18, 2019, a fire broke out in the basement while three tenants were present. Both Kebede and Solomen perished due to thermal burns and smoke inhalation as they could not escape the premises. Prosecutors argued that Walker's awareness of the property's dangers and his disregard for safety risks directly led to their deaths.
The case was prosecuted jointly by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb, ATF Special Agent Anthony Spotswood, MPD Chief Pamela Smith, and Fire Chief John A. Donnelly Sr., praised the efforts of those involved in investigating and prosecuting this case.
They specifically acknowledged contributions from Assistant United States Attorney Vinet Bryant along with Assistant Attorneys General Jeffrey Cargill and Keith Ingram who led prosecution efforts.
