Demonta King, an 18-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., was sentenced in Superior Court for his involvement in two violent crimes: a carjacking in November 2024 and an armed robbery in August 2022. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
King pleaded guilty on April 4, 2025, to one count of armed carjacking and one count of armed robbery. Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro ordered King to serve fifteen years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Judge Di Toro denied King's request to be sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act. The government had requested a twenty-two-year sentence.
According to evidence presented by the government, on November 18, 2024, King approached a taxicab driver with a knife in the 5000 block of Fort Totten Drive NE. He demanded the victim's belongings, stabbed him in the hand, took his keys and other personal items, and drove off with the taxicab. Police later located the vehicle being driven at high speed by King in Hyattsville, Maryland. After crashing the car, King attempted to flee but was apprehended by officers.
In another incident on August 26, 2022, King used a firearm to rob another individual in Northeast Washington. He took the victim’s backpack and cell phone before striking them with the weapon and fleeing. At that time, King was 16 years old and prosecuted as an adult under Title 16.
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentencing decision.
"In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. They also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Greene, who prosecuted the case."
