Washington, D.C
100 mph driver found not guilty of murder in deadly Rock Creek Parkway crash
A driver who fled a traffic stop on D.C.’s Rock Creek Parkway and crashed into a Lyft car, killing all three men inside in 2023, was found not guilty of second-degree murder.
Nakita Walker was found guilty on Monday morning of three counts of involuntary manslaughter, fleeing a law enforcement officer and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Walker was driving 100 mph when she crashed into a Honda at about 1:30 a.m. March 15, 2023, an expert witness testified.
The crash victims were Mohamed Kamara, 42; Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22; and Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23. Kamara was driving for Lyft to send money home to his family in Sierra Leone. His two passengers were on their way home to Arlington after a night out in D.C.
Walker had no visible reaction in court as the verdict was announced. The victims’ families were not in the courtroom.
News4 has covered the crash since it happened and the court case since Walker was charged with murder.
Walker pleaded not guilty to three counts of second-degree murder. She was accused of being drunk behind the wheel and had three previous DUI convictions.
Nakita Walker was traveling 100 miles per hour on Rock Creek Parkway for 10 seconds before the March 2023 crash that claimed the lives of three men, according to new testimony from the District’s chief medical examiner. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.
‘Is there a reason you’re driving like 80 miles an hour?’
Police body camera video shows the moments before and after the tragedy. An officer pulled over Walker near the Kennedy Center and asked why she was speeding.
“Is there a reason you’re driving like 80 miles an hour, blowing red lights?” an officer asks.
Walker was behind the wheel and Donnell Thomas, who was not charged, was in the passenger seat, prosecutors said. Walker told the officer she was rushing to get home to her son, who she said was 10 years old and alone.
Thomas can be seen on video pouring out of the window what was revealed in testimony to be liquor out of a cup before the officer noticed what appeared to be marijuana in his pocket. The officer informed him he couldn’t have marijuana on federal property and confiscated it.
A few seconds later, the video shows Walker speed off.
A short time after Walker fled the traffic stop, she slammed into the Lyft car, killing all three men inside.
A U.S. Park Police officer’s body camera showed him arriving at the crash scene. Walker is seen on the ground.
Body camera video from a D.C. officer responding to the crash captured the moment he realized all three men were dead.
Prosecutors said Walker had a blood alcohol content of 0.10, which is 0.02 above the legal limit.
Thomas testified under a grant of immunity, saying he had been concerned with Walker’s behavior that night. Thomas told the court he told Walker at least twice that he should drive but she insisted.
On the witness stand, Thomas testified that Walker sped off because the officer was harassing him for having liquor in a cup and marijuana in his pocket.
Thomas testified that he pulled Walker out of the car after the crash. A man who came upon the crash scene before police arrived testified that he pulled her out.
The D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles and D.C. Superior Court are pointing fingers to explain why the license of a woman with three prior DUIs was not suspended at the time she allegedly caused a deadly wrong-way crash. News4’s Paul Wagner reports.
D.C.’s chief medical examiner told jurors the men all died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries. As the jury was shown autopsy photos of the victims, Walker never looked up from her seat at the defense table.
Stay with NBC Washington for more details on this developing story.
FULL PRESS CONFERENCE | King Charles III spoke in Washington D.C. on April 28, 2026 during his four-day trip in the U.S. The King spoke about his continued partnership with the U.S. and paid his respects toward the victims of September 11, prior to the 25th anniversary.
WASHINGTON (7News) — An individual is hospitalized after fleeing a traffic stop and being struck by a civilian vehicle on DC-295 in Northeast D.C. Monday night, according to the United States Park Police (USPP).
Officials said the incident began around 11:18 p.m. when officers attempted to stop a driver for reckless driving.
USPP said the driver fled, later losing control of the vehicle before crashing into a curb and a tree, disabling the car.
(Credit: Kyle Mazza/@KyleMazzaWUNF)
The suspect then bailed out near Kenilworth Park and ran onto DC-295.
SEE ALSO | Man killed in early morning Northwest DC shooting
While on the roadway, officials said the individual was struck by a civilian vehicle.
(Credit: Kyle Mazza/@KyleMazzaWUNF)
The civilian driver was not injured.
The suspect was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
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The investigation remains ongoing.
BALTIMORE (WBFF) — A Washington D.C. man was sentenced to life in prison Monday for the 2024 deadly shooting of a Baltimore man during an attempted robbery in Harbor East, according to the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office.
Defendant Quontay Spinks was given a life sentence for First-Degree Murder, Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Crime of Violence, First-Degree Assault, Attempted Robbery with a Deadly Weapon, and First-Degree Attempted Murder.
“I thank the court for handing down the maximum sentence under the plea agreement parameters for a Defendant who terrorized our residents, visitors, and ultimately took the life of Mr. Antonio Peoples,” State’s Attorney Ivan J. Bates said in a press release. “While nothing can undo this loss, I hope this sentence brings the family a sense of justice and closure. I thank the Baltimore Police Department’s Homicide Detectives and ASA Gallo for ensuring accountability after so much violence and tragedy.
ALSO READ | Court documents reveal new details about accused DC teen’s crime spree across Baltimore
The shooting occurred on September 14, 2024, in the 700 block of Aliceanna Street, outside The Ruxton restaurant in Harbor East.
Investigators reported that the victim, 36-year-old Antonio Peoples, and his girlfriend were standing outside the restaurant when a dark-colored vehicle, later identified as a Toyota Camry, pulled up beside them.
Surveillance video reviewed by homicide detectives revealed several suspects exiting the vehicle and approaching the couple with their firearms drawn.
The suspects attempted to rob them of their necklaces and when Peoples resisted, gunfire erupted.
According to investigators, Peoples managed to disarm one of the suspects and returned fire while wounded on the ground.
Peoples was struck multiple times and rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he later died. His girlfriend was grazed by a bullet and received treatment for her injuries.
Crime scene technicians recovered dozens of shell casings from various firearms, including 7.62mm cartridge casings, .40 caliber casings, and 9mm casings, along with fired projectiles and other evidence.
ALSO READ | 19-year-old denied bond for Harbor East murder, criminal past revealed
Detectives utilized surveillance footage from before and after the shooting, along with ballistic and forensic evidence, to identify Spinks as a suspect.
Authorities also obtained digital and cellphone data that placed Spinks near the scene at the time of the shooting and indicated that he left the area afterward.
Spinks was located in Washington, D.C., on November 1, 2024, and taken into custody.
After being advised of his rights, investigators said Spinks confessed to attempting to rob Peoples of his necklace and to shooting him.
Spinks also admitted to involvement in several other violent incidents in Baltimore between September 12 and October 4, 2024.
Now, Spinks will spend the rest of his life in prison.
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