Bernard Eddy, a 24-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of second-degree murder while armed, along with related weapons offenses, in relation to the 2019 shooting of 16-year-old Steffen Brathwaite. This was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith.
The decision came after proceedings in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Judge Michael Ryan has set the sentencing for June 20, 2025, where Eddy could face up to 40 years in prison for the murder charge.
Evidence presented by the prosecution showed that, on September 10, 2019, around 12:12 a.m., in the 3000 block of 24th Place, S.E., Eddy approached the victim, who was walking alone to a friend's house, and shot him with a 9 mm handgun. After the shooting, Eddy fled, leaving Brathwaite, who was later pronounced dead.
A key piece of evidence was a 15-second video found on Eddy's phone eight days after the murder, depicting him celebrating Brathwaite's death some three hours post-shooting.
Eddy has been in custody since his arrest on January 6, 2023.
The Metropolitan Police Department led the investigation, with the case being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Liebman and Mark Levy.
