District Man Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder While Armed in Slaying Outside Convenience Store in Northeast Washington

Defendant Was Targeting Another Man in Shooting

            WASHINGTON – Kenneth Adams, 20, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder while armed and related charges stemming from a killing that took place in 2016 in Northeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            In addition to the murder charge, Adams was found guilty of a weapons offense related to the murder, as well as a robbery charge involving an earlier incident. The verdict was returned on Nov. 19, 2018, and followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Bartnoff scheduled sentencing for Feb. 28, 2019.

            According to the government’s evidence, on the night of Feb. 15, 2016, Adams and two others robbed a woman near the intersection of 21st Street and Maryland Avenue NE and threatened that her brother would be next. The woman told her brother what happened, and he confronted Adams and the others.

            Then, on Feb. 19, 2016, at approximately 9:40 p.m., Adams armed himself with a .40-caliber revolver and walked a short distance from 21st and Maryland to the area of 19th Street and Benning Road NE. He was backed by several others from the neighborhood. He walked to the center of a parking lot, raised his left arm, and pointed his firearm at the woman’s brother, firing multiple times. The man was in a group that included Dante Kinard. The gunfire did not hit the intended target, but did hit Mr. Kinard, 21, who was standing in front of a convenience store at the time. He was shot in the back and right thigh and died a short time later.

            Adams was arrested on June 15, 2016, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Liu and Chief Newsham commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Park Police, the FBI, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sharon Donovan, Chrisellen Kolb, Daniel Lenerz, John Mannarino, David Misler, Rizwan Qureshi, and Thomas Saunders; Paralegal Specialists Debra Joyner, Alesha Matthews, Lornce Applewhite, Meridith McGarrity, and Sharon Newman; Investigative Analyst Zachary McMenamin; Litigation Technology Specialists Leif Hickling, Anisha Bhatia, and Thomas “Ron” Royal; Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim; Victim/Witness Security Specialists Lesley Slade and M. LaVerne Perry, and Intern Tia Kerkhof.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Baset and Monica Trigoso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.