On the fifth anniversary of the murder of a young Brooklyn Park man, his family finally got some legal closure.
Minneapolis man sentenced to 15 years for 2018 fatal Richfield shooting
Victim was killed over allegations by attackers that he had shortchanged them out of marijuana.
May 17, 2023 at 10:21PM
At a quiet and brief sentencing Wednesday morning in Hennepin County District Court, Daniel Lamar Johnny Adams of Minneapolis was sentenced to 15 years for the 2018 shooting of Jordan Deangelo Washington. Adams wasn't arrested until last year and pleaded guilty to second-degree murder last week. A co-defendant received the same punishment in 2021 while another suspect remains at-large.
Adams, 24, and two friends accused Washington, 19, of shortchanging them marijuana. They went to a Richfield apartment complex where they planned to rob Washington, and court records accuse Adams of shooting Washington inside a vehicle May 17.
Washington's mother, Christina Day, said at Adams' sentencing that her son died a few days later when the family took him off life support. The last time she saw her son alive was Mother's Day, just a few days before the shooting.
"It should be a joyful occasion, but it's not," she said of the holiday.
She moved to Oregon because it was too painful passing by the apartment. Some relatives still live in the area, including Washington's sister Joël Washington, who appeared hesitant at first to give a victim impact statement.
But Day leaned over and whispered to her, "That's your baby," so his sister stood up and approached the judge.
"A lot of people have done wrong and let me start off by saying this: That was my baby. And just from his one mistake, a lot of lives were ruined," she said. "I'm gonna pray for everybody involved because I know they need it, even the accused."
She said that she doesn't think Adams "ever had the support he needed," and she turned to look directly at him after saying she hopes everyone learns from this.
When District Judge Michael Burns gave Adams the chance to speak, he said "No, I'm fine."
Burns said that Joël Washington summarized his feelings best about this case.
"Not only did Jordan lose his life, there are also other individuals whose lives, the family, that are all going to be affected by this forever," Burns said.
The judge noted there has been a lot of news coverage about juvenile crime. At the same time, he noted, there are ongoing discussions at the State Capitol about guns and marijuana.
"I'm not making any political statement, but we have in this case guns, the marijuana and the teenagers all coming together, and you end up with this particular tragic incident," Burns said.
Silas McDougal and Tyjahreek Brown, both now 24 but 19 at the time of the shooting, are charged with aiding the murder. McDougal pleaded guilty in 2019 and received a 15-year sentence in April 2021. Law enforcement has not yet found Brown.
Adams will be required to serve 10 years in prison before going on five years of supervised release, provided he abides by conditions that include not possessing any guns or ammunition.
Burns said the anniversary of the crime falling on Adam's sentencing date is not lost on him.
"I can't imagine what it's like for the family to, on every May 17, be thinking of something like this," he said.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement that she hopes the sentencing brings some degree of closure to the family.
"The message today is clear: If you commit acts of gun violence in Hennepin County and inflict deep pain on our communities, we will hold you accountable, no matter how long it takes."
