Court Gives 45 Year Prison Term for Murder at a Bus Stop in Southeast Publisher: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia Dateline: Washington, D.C. Date: 14 June 2024 Subjects: American Government , Buses, Crime

Defendant Shot Victim with an Assault Rifle

            WASHINGTON –Terrell Poe, 37, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 45 years in prison for his role in the murder of Christopher Washington in September 2020. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            On February 15, 2024, a jury found Poe guilty on three counts of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Superior Court Judge Michael O’Keefe sentenced Poe to 45 years in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release.

           According to the government’s evidence presented at trial, at 2:24 p.m. on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 30-year-old Christopher Washington, was waiting at the bus stop on Southern Avenue, SE when Poe pulled up in a stolen white pickup truck. Poe got out of the truck, armed with an assault rifle, and shot Mr. Washington to death.  Just minutes earlier, in a local church parking lot, Poe had switched from his girlfriend’s car into the stolen pickup truck and gone looking for Mr. Washington.  Poe passed Mr. Washington as he walked up Indian Head Highway in Maryland, then turned around and followed Mr. Washington, apparently losing sight of him, and then finding him again at the bus stop.  After the murder, Poe returned to the church parking lot, dropped off the stolen truck and drove off in his girlfriend’s car.

            In announcing the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter V. Roman and Wes Faulkner.

Updated June 14, 2024

Press Release Number: 24-518