District Man Sentenced to 18-Year Prison Term
In November 2010 Slaying in Southeast Washington
- Defendant Chased Victim, Firing a Semiautomatic Pistol -

     WASHINGTON - Jerome E. Bailey, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison on a charge of second degree murder while armed in a slaying that took place last year in Southeast Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

     Bailey pled guilty in September 2011 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Lynn Leibovitz approved the plea agreement and sentenced him today. Upon completion of the prison term, Bailey will be placed on five years of supervised release.

     According to the government’s evidence, in the months preceding the murder, Bailey believed that the decedent, Rico Matthews, 36, had become involved in a sexual relationship with a woman with whom Bailey also was involved. Bailey repeatedly confronted the woman, who denied being in a relationship with Matthews. On Friday, November 5, 2010, Bailey called the woman and confronted her once again, and she again denied any such relationship. Bailey repeatedly called the woman and Matthews that morning.

     Then, in the afternoon, Bailey located Matthews inside a single-family house in the 4000 block of First Street SE. When Bailey arrived, Matthews came downstairs and met him at the rear door. The two men had a heated argument inside the house. Bailey then shot Matthews multiple times with a .380-caliber semiautomatic pistol. As Matthews tried to run away, Bailey pursued him throughout the first floor of the house and continued to shoot at him, ultimately striking Matthews four times and resulting in the victim’s death.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the work of Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Detectives Anthony Greene, Gabriel Truby, Joshua Branson, Norma Horne, James Wilson, and Gus Giannakoulias; and Officers Kiernan Speight and Sean Hodges, who investigated the case. He also expressed appreciation to Marcey Rinker, the advocate who worked with the victim’s family, as well as Paralegal Marian Russell. Finally, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed his appreciation to Assistant U.S. Attorneys Seth Waxman and Emily A. Miller, who prosecuted the case.

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