A D.C. resident was sentenced Friday to nine years in prison for stabbing and killing a Washington Hospital Center employee during an altercation in May 2012.
Jonathan Dawkins, 32, was walking in the 400 block of Florida Avenue NW with an unidentified person at approximately 2:15 a.m. on May 1, 2012. The victim, 33-year-old Dwayne Brisbon, was driving home from Marvin, a nearby lounge, when he pulled over to check on Dawkins’ companion, whom he recognized from the bar.
Dawkins became enraged and the two men began to argue. The confrontation turned physical when Brisbon exited his vehicle and punched Dawkins, according to prosecutors. During the ensuing fight, Dawkins stabbed Brisbon in the upper arm and neck, puncturing his carotid artery and jugular vein.
As Dawkins fled the scene, Brisbon got back in his car and attempted to drive himself to the hospital, losing consciousness and crashing into Shaw’s Tavern in the 500 block of Florida Avenue NW within seconds. Dawkins and the mutual acquaintance were captured on surveillance video from the tavern moments before the incident erupted.
Dawkins was found guilty in May of voluntary manslaughter while armed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Following his prison term, Dawkins will be placed on five years of supervised release.
