Washington man sentenced to over 100 years in prison for murder of teenager in 2020

WASHINGTON – A D.C. man has been sentenced to 108 years and six months in prison for first-degree murder and other charges in connection with the 2020 killing of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes.

Stephon Nelson, 33, and two co-defendants – Tyiion Freeman and Koran Jackson – were found guilty of first-degree murder while armed, multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, conspiracy to commit various firearms offenses and other weapons-related charges.

Prosecutors allege Nelson illegally supplied weapons and the trio were involved in a series of violent crimes in the district. Nelson's conviction follows the sentencing last week of Freeman and Jackson, who will begin serving prison sentences of 108 and 164 years, respectively.

According to authorities, the defendants were part of neighborhood gangs and Nelson was a known felon. He supplied firearms involved in a series of gang-related shootings in the Petworth, Shaw and Stronghold neighborhoods between February and May 2020. Lukes was shot and killed during one of those shootings on March 1, 2020, in the 600 block of S Street Northwest.

Lukes was out playing basketball with friends when he was shot in the back while trying to escape. His death is believed to be part of an attempt at retaliation for a fight between rival teams that left a man killed on the same block in September 2019.