WASHINGTON – Devon Kelly, 43, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty of burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm, and other property-related offenses involving multiple domestic violence incidents against the same victim on March 14, 2022, in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Kelly was found guilty by a jury on Nov. 15, 2022, of second-degree burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm, two counts of second-degree theft, and two counts of destruction of property following a five-day trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz scheduled sentencing for Jan. 13, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, in the early morning hours of March 14, 2022, Kelly drove to his ex-girlfriend’s house in Southeast Washington, stole her front license plate, backed his car into her car, causing damage, and then drove away. Later that day, while his ex-girlfriend was at work, Kelly returned to her home, rammed his car into her garage, entered the garage, and then unsuccessfully tried to force his way into her locked home with a knife. Kelly then stole his ex-girlfriend’s surveillance video camera and drove away.
Two days later, Kelly’s vehicle was found in Alexandria, Virginia, and police officers recovered the missing license plate and surveillance video camera, as well as a shotgun. Kelly was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of a firearm-related felony offense. Kelly was arrested on March 24, 2022.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zach Horton, Lisa Kreeger-Norman, and Amy Zubrensky; Paralegal Specialists Cynthia Muhammad, Renee Prather, ReShawn Johnson, and Tiffany Jones; Victim/Witness Advocate Roger Dickerson; Victim/Witness Service Coordinators Katina Adams-Washington, LaJune Thames, and Maenylie Watson, and Criminal Investigations Unit Special Agent Nelson Rhone.
Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Sellinger and Sara Hanson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.