A D.C. jury has found five men guilty of the murder of 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson.
The verdict came after a three-month trial in D.C. Superior Court in which six people were tried together for a combination of charges related to Makiyah’s murder. Five of them – Quentin Michals, Qujuan Thomas, Isaiah Murchison, Darrise Jeffers, and Gregory Taylor – were ultimately found guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy, participation in a criminal street gang, and various assault charges, according to the Office of the U.S. Attorney for D.C. A sixth defendant, Marquell Cobbs, was acquitted of a first-degree murder charge but found guilty of conspiracy.
Makiyah Wilson was fatally shot in the courtyard of an apartment complex in 2018. She was heading over to an ice cream truck in her Northeast D.C. neighborhood when a group of men opened fire in multiple directions, killing Makiyah and wounding four other people – including Makiyah’s older sister.
Prosecutors said in court that the men ultimately fired 50 bullets into the courtyard of Clay Terrace. They weren’t specifically targeting anyone, according to prosecutors; the shooting was perpetrated by members of the Wellington Park neighborhood crew as retaliation for a series of other shootings linked to a feud with a rival crew in Clay Terrace.
Police ultimately arrested 11 people in connection with Makiyah’s death. Six of those people — Michals, Thomas, Murchison, Jeffers, Taylor, and Cobbs — were on trial this spring for a combination of crimes, including first-degree murder, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting. Another group of people charged with crimes connected to the murder are expected to go on trial as soon as May 30, WTOP reported.
During the trial, defense attorneys for the men argued that prosecutors had unfairly grouped the men as being responsible for the killing, instead of evaluating each person individually.
But ultimately, a jury held most of the defendants collectively responsible for Makiyah’s killing. Their sentencings are scheduled for October.
“Almost 5 years ago to the day four men entered the courtyard of an apartment complex and indiscriminately fired over 50 shots at the residents of the community, because of a petty social media feud they had with individuals who associated with that area. Their rampage left multiple people shot and a 10-year-old child dead,” said U.S. Attorney for D.C. Matthew Graves on Tuesday. “Today’s verdict demonstrates that we will hold accountable both the shooters in these brazen attacks, and the people who help them.”
Graves also reiterated his office’s broader commitment to ensure that people who commit murders are charged and convicted for their crimes.
“Everyone should understand that we will not hesitate to commit the time and the people to deliver accountability in these kinds of cases,” Graves said. “There is nothing more important that we do than prosecuting homicides, and there are no homicides more gut wrenching to us as prosecutors than homicides where children are killed. We will do all within our power to deliver justice in these cases.”
The verdict comes as another D.C. family mourns a 10-year-old struck by a stray bullet: Arianna Davis, who was shot on Mother’s Day while she was in a car with her family in Northeast. To add to the tragedy, one of Arianna’s pallbearers was fatally shot at her burial earlier this month; Police say he was killed by the owner of the funeral home conducting the services after a dispute broke out at the gravesite.
The D.C. Council recently voted to name the street where Makiyah was killed; it will be called “Makiyah Wilson Way.”
This story was updated with comments from U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves, the scheduled date for sentencings, and additional information about the convictions.
Jenny Gathright