Previously Convicted Man Sentenced to 40 Month Prison Term For Strangulation and Attempted Kidnapping

Press Release

Defendant Attacked Victim Behind a Northwest D.C. Home

WASHINGTON - Jamari Jackson, 19, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 40 months in prison for felony strangulation and the attempted kidnapping of a victim in the Washington, D.C. area, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Jackson pleaded guilty on April 10, 2024, to one count of attempted kidnapping, one count of strangulation and one count of simple assault. In addition to the prison term, Superior Court Judge Lynn Leibovitz ordered Jackson to serve three years of supervised release.

According to the government's evidence regarding the attempted kidnapping and strangulation charges, on July 24, 2023, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Jackson approached the victim as she was walking down the street in the Columbia Heights neighborhood in Northwest Washington D.C. Jackson grabbed the victim by the throat, indicated he had a gun, ordered the victim to "shut up" and follow him, and forced her to walk in the direction of the 3300 block of Holmead Place, NW. Jackson then held the victim against a car. Fearing for her life, the victim struck the defendant in the face and tried to fight him off while shouting repeatedly for help. Jackson assaulted the victim on her torso and ribs and grabbed her by her throat again, choking her. After throwing the victim on the ground and continuing to choke her, the defendant attempted to pull off the victim's pants in an attempt to sexually assault her. As the victim began to lose consciousness, nearby homeowners came out, and Jackson walked away from the scene.

According to the government's evidence regarding the simple assault, on June 20, 2023, while at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C., Jackson threatened to throw a cup of urine on hospital staff. Jackson was then placed in a wheelchair and staff took Jackson over to a different room to be placed in seclusion. When a staff nurse asked Jackson to return the wheelchair, Jackson, without provocation, punched the victim in face causing him to bleed.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Roessler and LaVater Massie-Banks, of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Unit, who investigated and prosecuted the strangulation and attempt kidnapping case; and the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Rana Wahdan, of the General Crimes Unit, who investigated and prosecuted the simple assault case.

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Updated July 19, 2024