Five men have been found guilty of the murder of a 10-year-old girl, Makiyah Wilson, and a sixth man is guilty of conspiring with the others before the shooting.
Four of the five men convicted of first-degree premeditated murder were found guilty of all 19 charges they faced, including multiple counts of assault with intent to kill, conspiracy, gang membership and possession of a firearm.
“Justice has been served, but it does not bring us back to life for the young lady, Makiyah Wilson,” Acting Police Chief Ashan Benedict said.
On the afternoon of July 16, 2018, masked armed assailants got out of an Infiniti sedan and opened fire on a group of people in the courtyard of an apartment complex on Clay Terrace in northeast DC. The attackers fired more than 50 times before fleeing.
Makiyah, who was sitting on the porch, was killed, and four other people were injured.
The getaway vehicle, which police reported stolen, was discovered in Oxon Hill, Maryland days after the shooting. A woman who had been the victim of a carjacking told our sister network News4 that her vehicle was hers.
“This brazen assault left multiple individuals gunshot wounded and a 10-year-old boy dead,” said US Attorney for the District of Columbia Matthew Graves.
Attorneys for the prosecution said the defendants bragged about the shooting in music videos.
Makiyah was the youngest of four children. She had finished fourth grade and celebrated her tenth birthday shortly before her death.
Prosecutors and the jury said that social media played a significant role in the case. Prosecutors indicated that this was the motive for the shooting, and a juror said that the publications they showed in court were decisive in determining guilt or innocence.
“It’s a sense of relief, you know,” said Pandora Wilson, Makiyah’s grandmother. “It’s almost like I don’t feel anything. I’m glad they were found guilty but I also feel bad for their families, you know what I’m saying, because we all lose in this situation. Nobody wins”.
The defendants will be sentenced in October. The murder charge carries a sentence of 30 years to life in prison.
