Darrell Hinkle, a 37-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for the murder of Dajuan Blakney outside an apartment complex in Southeast Washington. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Hinkle pleaded guilty on September 4, 2025, to one count of second-degree murder while armed in D.C. Superior Court. Judge Jason Park accepted the agreed-upon sentencing range of 17 to 21 years and imposed the maximum sentence of 21 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
According to evidence presented by the government, Hinkle arrived at the apartment complex at 1511 19th Street SE shortly after midnight on April 21, 2023. He approached Blakney, who was sitting on the steps leading to the building entrance, and shot him with an assault-style rifle from close range before fleeing in his vehicle.
Hinkle was arrested in October 2023 and has remained in custody since then.
Interim Chief Jeffrey W. Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentence. The case was investigated by members of the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Carson.
