D.C. Jury Finds 77-Year-Old Man Guilty of Murdering His Daughter's Boyfriend in 2016
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia announced that Wilbert Whitaker, 77, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty on November 4, 2026, in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia on charges stemming from the April 30, 2016 murder of Leo Hackett, 30, his daughter's boyfriend, in Northeast Washington.
Whitaker was found guilty of second-degree murder while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. The second-degree murder while armed offense carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison when committed with a firearm. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman scheduled sentencing for January 8, 2027.
According to the government's evidence, on April 30, 2016, Fifth District officers responded to a 911 call for a family disturbance at 811 21st Street Northeast. There they found that Whitaker and Hackett had been in an argument. Officers observed no injuries and heard no reports of an assault, so they left without making any arrests.
A short time later, Whitaker retrieved a .38 special revolver from his bedroom and loaded it. As Hackett left the house to go to work, Whitaker followed him out, called out to him, and, as Hackett turned, fired two shots, striking him once in the left side of the chest and killing him.
Whitaker was arrested on April 30, 2016, at the scene and was released on May 16, 2016, following his preliminary hearing. The Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen Gibbons and Michael Roberts are prosecuting. (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
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