Charges Filed in Shooting Death of UMass Student

Prosecutors have announced that two teenagers charged in the shooting death of Eric Tarpinian-Jahim, a University of Massachusetts student who was serving as a congressional intern in Washington, D.C., last summer, have been linked through DNA evidence.

During a hearing on Friday, government lawyers informed D.C. Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson that tests performed on shell casings found at the crime scene displayed a significant statistical match to one of the suspects, Jalen Lucas. Additionally, DNA analysis connected them to another shooting involving a suspect named Kelvin Thomas.

The two suspects, both 17 at the time of the incident, are facing adult charges of first-degree murder in the armed killing of Tarpinian-Jahim, who was 21 years old and hailed from Granby, Massachusetts.

Prosecutors indicated that two rounds of DNA testing have been conducted, and further expert testimonies will be presented during the trial covering various evidence types including DNA, ballistics, and fingerprints.

Tarpinian-Jahim was a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was shot on June 30 near the intersection of 7th Avenue and M Street NW while he was spending the summer in D.C. as an intern for Congressman Ron Estes, a Republican representative from Kansas.

Authorities stated that three armed individuals exited a stolen vehicle and opened fire on two people in the vicinity. Tragically, Tarpinian-Jahim, who was uninvolved in any confrontation, was struck four times and succumbed to his injuries the following day.

Lucas and Thomas were taken into custody on September 5. Later, on October 31, an additional suspect, 18-year-old Naquan Antonio Lucas from D.C., was also arrested and charged with Tarpinian-Jahim’s murder.

A pretrial hearing is set for May 15, with the trial anticipated to begin in February. Tarpinian-Jahim’s mother chose not to comment when approached.