An 18-year-old gunman who killed a teen during a botched drug deal in Washington, DC will avoid the maximum prison term after a judge showed leniency, federal authorities announced.
District resident Eugene Williams was sentenced this week after pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter in December for the fatal shooting of DeShaun Francis, 16, who accompanied a family member to sell marijuana in February 2022.
According to court documents, on Feb. 8, 2022, Williams arranged to buy weed from a family member of Francis, with the intention of visiting his father after the deal went down.
Francis agreed to come along and was seated in the front seat of the car when Williams came out to inspect the goods. Prosecutors said that Williams initially walked to the driver’s side of the car, briefly interacted with the two, and then re-entered an apartment building.
Shortly thereafter, Williams returned with a second man, Anthony Greene, who approached the driver’s side while the former walked to the passenger side of the vehicle with a gun, firing one shot inside that struck Francis in the head.