Photo by Michael Farquhar

An 18-year-old man from District Heights, Md. pleaded guilty today to his role in the murder of a fellow 18-year-old at the Woodley Park Metro station late last year.

Chavez Myers, who was 17-years-old at the time of the crime, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder while armed today and is the sixth person to plead guilty to a role in the death of Olijawon Griffin, who was robbed of personal items, including a Helly Hansen winter jacket, last November. According to the government, the six defendants were part of a group of nine who conspired to rob people in D.C. The group first robbed Griffin then later attacked him when he later tried to retrieve his stolen property.

The others charged with the crime are Muquan Cawthorne, 16, of Mount Ranier, Md.; Deon Jefferson, 18, of Landover, Md.; Gary Maye, 17, of Hyattsville, Md.; Immanuel Swann, 18, of Brentwood, Md., and Gary Whittaker, 20, of Hyattsville, Md. From the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia’s office:

Cawthorne pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed, armed robbery, and a firearms offense. Jefferson pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and armed robbery. Maye pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed, armed robbery, and robbery. Swann pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed and two counts of armed robbery. Whittaker pled guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, conspiracy, and a firearms offense. They have been in custody since their arrests last year and are to be sentenced on Dec. 13, 2013.

In a statement, Ron Machen, the U.S. Attorney for D.C., said, “In an act of pure cowardice, 17-year-old Chavez Myers snuck up behind Olijawon Griffin as he was fighting off three of Myers’s associates and stabbed him in the heart inside the Woodley Park Metro station.”

“We hope this prosecution sends an unambiguous message to young people tempted to join their friends to carry out robberies and other acts of violence in our city: think before you act because you will be prosecuted as an adult and held responsible for the destruction your actions bring to the lives of others,” he continued.

Myers is facing 30 years in prison and will be sentenced this December.