DC teen charged in double murder nabbed after months-long manhunt ends in Maryland
WASHINGTON, DC — A months-long manhunt for an 18-year-old homicide suspect ended this week when law enforcement tracked him to Germantown, Maryland, arresting him in connection with two separate killings in the District, including the fatal shootings of a Massachusetts man and a teenage girl.
Naqwan Antonio Lucas, 18, was taken into custody on Wednesday, October 29, by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force. Lucas was wanted for two counts of First Degree Murder While Armed (Premeditated) tied to separate shootings in June and July.
The first incident occurred on the night of June 30 in the 1200 block of 7th Street NW. Officers responding to gunfire found three victims: one unconscious adult male and two others — an adult female and a 16-year-old male — who were injured but conscious. All three were transported to local hospitals. The male victim, later identified as 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym of Granby, Massachusetts, died of his injuries the following day.
Two other suspects, Kelvin Thomas and Jailen Lucas, both 17, were previously arrested in connection with that case on September 5 and charged as adults under Title 16. Detectives had identified Naqwan Lucas as the final suspect and circulated images of him as the investigation continued.
While searching for Lucas in connection with the June homicide, detectives with the MPD Homicide Branch identified him as a suspect in a separate shooting that occurred on July 4.
In that case, officers responded to a residence in the 1700 block of Benning Road NE after receiving a report of trouble inside. They discovered a juvenile female, 17-year-old Zoey Kelley of Southeast DC, unconscious and not breathing, with an apparent gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene, and the Medical Examiner later ruled the death a homicide.
Lucas was apprehended in Germantown and transported to MPD’s Homicide Branch, where he was charged under a DC Superior Court arrest warrant and a grand jury indictment for both killings.
The Metropolitan Police Department credited the FBI Washington Field Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force with assisting in the arrest and investigation.
Key Points
- Naqwan Antonio Lucas, 18, was arrested in Germantown and charged with two counts of First Degree Murder While Armed
- Lucas is accused in the June 30 fatal shooting of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym and the July 4 killing of Zoey Kelley
- Two other teens were previously arrested and charged in the June shooting