Source: United States Attorneys General
Headline: District Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison For Fatally Shooting Man on Anacostia River Trail
WASHINGTON – Wandell G. Roy, 42, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 27 years in prison for killing a man in July 2017 on the Anacostia River Trail in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu and Peter Newsham, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Roy pled guilty in November 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to the charge of second degree murder. He was sentenced by the Honorable Judith Bartnoff. Upon completion of his prison term, Roy will be placed on five years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, on July 26, 2017, at approximately 8:30 a.m., the victim, Victor Williams, was walking his two puppies, heading south on the Anacostia River Trail from the East Capitol Bridge. Roy, riding a red bike, was also on the trail some distance behind Mr. Williams. Roy then discarded his bike on the side of the trail, came within approximately 20 feet behind Mr. Williams, and shot at Mr. Williams at least four times. After Mr. Williams’s body immediately dropped to the ground, Roy walked up to his body and shot him at close range at least two more times. Roy then stole Mr. Williams’s iPhone 7 off of his person and fled the area.
The autopsy revealed that Mr. Williams, 37, died of a gunshot wound to the midline of his back and another gunshot wound to the left side of his face. On the scene, officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) found that one of the puppies was also killed by a gunshot wound to the chest, and the other puppy was found alive.
Due to the quick thinking and cooperation of eyewitnesses, as well as the detective work of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch, Roy was identified as the shooter and arrested on Aug. 17, 2017. He has been in custody ever since. The investigation revealed no connection between Mr. Williams and Roy.
In announcing the sentence, 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 the Firearms Examination Unit of the District of Columbia Department of Forensic Sciences. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Diana Lim, Paralegal Specialist Debra Joyner, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jin Park, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.