A Superior Court jury in Washington, D.C., has found Julius Worthy, 42, guilty of second-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and related offenses. The verdicts are connected to the killing of Orlando Galloway and the attack on Shaquia Lewis that occurred on April 2, 2023. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
The sentencing hearing for Worthy is set for January 30, 2026. He could face up to 95 years in prison.
According to court proceedings, Worthy and Galloway shared a one-bedroom apartment in Capitol Hill at the time of the incident. On the night of April 2, an argument broke out between the two over $20. As stated during the trial, “As Galloway pleaded with Worthy that he would pay him the money, Worthy pulled out a firearm and shot eight times into the apartment, six of which struck Galloway. Worthy then grabbed a kitchen knife from the dishrack and stabbed Galloway five times in the neck. Worthy beat Galloway in the face repeatedly with the firearm, causing a piece of the frame to break off.” Afterward, Worthy attacked Lewis by stabbing her multiple times and strangling her until she lost consciousness.
“Worthy remained in the apartment for over an hour with Galloway’s body and Lewis, calling multiple people on his phone to ask for help ‘cleaning up this mess,’ adding that he was ‘killing two people.’ When Lewis tried to escape through the front door, Worthy attacked her again, stabbing her with a pair of scissors,” according to information provided at trial. A neighbor heard screams and saw part of the attack before contacting police. Officers arrived soon after; Worthy fled but was apprehended by law enforcement on April 3.
During their investigation, authorities found that Worthy had texted several individuals after committing the crimes saying: “I killed two people.”
Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing these developments. The case was investigated by detectives from MPD’s Homicide Branch and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Lawrence and Molly Smith.
