Two teenagers have been charged in connection with the shooting death of a University of Massachusetts student who had interned for a congressman in Washington, D.C., last summer. Prosecutors announced that DNA testing has linked the suspects to the crime.
During a hearing at D.C. Superior Court, government lawyers informed Judge Danya Dayson that tests on shell casings from the scene showed a strong statistical match to Jalen Lucas, and Kelvin Thomas was also identified through DNA linked to the shooting.
The suspects, who were both 17 at the time of the incident, are facing adult charges of first-degree murder for their alleged involvement in the armed killing of 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jahim from Granby, Massachusetts.
Authorities mentioned that two rounds of DNA testing have been conducted, and more expert testimony will be presented at the trial, covering areas such as DNA analysis, ballistics, and fingerprint evidence.
Tarpinian-Jahim, a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was shot on June 30 at the intersection of 7th Avenue and M Street NW in Washington.
He was interning for Congressman Ron Estes, a Republican from Kansas, during his summer in D.C.
Lucas and Thomas were taken into custody on September 5. Subsequently, a third suspect, identified as 18-year-old Naquan Antonio Lucas from D.C., was arrested on October 31 and also charged with Tarpinian-Jahim’s murder.
A pretrial hearing is planned for May 15, while the trial is scheduled to begin in February. Tarpinian-Jahim’s mother chose not to comment when approached for a response.
