DC teens in fatal armed carjacking to reportedly get plea deal

DC teens charged in deadly carjacking likely to get a plea deal

The 13-year-old and 15-year-old girls charged in the armed fatal carjacking of a Virginia father and husband and father last week are reportedly getting a plea deal.

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - The 13-year-old and 15-year-old girls charged in the armed fatal carjacking of a Virginia husband and father last week in D.C. are reportedly getting a plea deal.

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The Washington Post, which sat-in on the virtual hearing for the two juveniles held on Wednesday, reports that the prosecutor had told the judge they were expecting to give attorneys plea bargain offers in the "next day or two."

Many scrutinizing this case continue to call for the teens to be charged as adults.

FOX 5 DC turned to D.C. Criminal Defense Attorney Nikki Lotze, with Lotze and Mosley LLP, to learn more about the circumstances around juvenile cases.

"In all kinds of way in D.C at least, juveniles are treated differently," said Lotze, explaining that District laws around juveniles are very different and operate under the presumption that a juvenile can be rehabilitated in ways the adult system may not be set-up to support.

Wednesday was the second court appearance for the 13 and 15-year-old teenagers charged with using a Taser in the armed fatal carjacking of 66-year-old Mohammad Anwar of Springfield, Virginia.

Video, now seen by millions across the world, shows how this carjacking ended in the Virginia father’s death. Uber confirmed Anwar was working as an UberEats driver at the time.

"We will carry him with us always, but it doesn’t take the pain away of losing him so tragically and so unexpectedly soon," read part of a statement on the family’s GoFundMe page.

D.C. Police Commander Ramey Kyle told FOX 5 they were investigating one of the suspect’s involvements in another carjacking in January. The Commander said in a Zoom interview, an arrest has been made.

FOX 5 confirmed through sources, this involved the younger suspect, who may have been involved in more than one previous crime.

D.C. laws prohibit a 13-year-old from being tried as an adult. At 15-years-old, the D.C. Attorney General’s Office could petition for a case to be transferred to the adult court system. Court sources told FOX 5 that usually happens during the first hearing.

The Washington Post reported there was no indication the prosecutor was planning to do so following the second hearing.

"How old that juvenile is, whether they’ve been juvenilely adjudicated previously. Whether they’ve – whether there’s a gun used in this case. In this case there’s no firearm, it was a stun gun. So there’s lots of determinations. there’s lots of factors to be considered for the Attorney General and then the judge to make the decision that a person is better charged as an adult than a juvenile," said Lotze.

The teens have reportedly pled the juvenile version of "not guilty."

"If you were to reach a plea agreement, then the juvenile would admit involvement," said Lotze, who also said the agreement could include, "… potentially being in a youth shelter involvement, which is similar to a jail but for juveniles. Or could involve being on home detention or being on probation."

Offering her condolences to the family, the defense attorney told FOX 5 people should petition their lawmakers if they feel there should be changes to how juveniles are treated within the justice system.

"I also understand that having been a lawyer in D.C. for many years that there is a presumption and that it makes sense to have a presumption that juveniles can be rehabilitated in ways that in the adults system people aren’t prepared to support," said.

The outpouring of support for the Anwar family continues. The GoFundMe Account for 66-year-old Mohammad Anwar has now surpassed $1,000,000.

Crime and Public Safety Washington, D.C.News