District Man Sentenced for Killing Man Near Mount Vernon Square Metro Station

            WASHINGTON – William Whitaker 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 18 years in prison for the slaying of a man in January 2020, near a Metro station in downtown Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Robert J. Contee III, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). Whitaker pleaded guilty on October 14, 2022, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia before the Honorable Milton C. Lee.

            According to the government’s evidence, Whitaker used a woman’s Instagram account to message the victim, Malick Cisse, to organize a meeting near the Mount Vernon Square Metro station. Mr. Cisse, 19, arrived at the Metro station, in the 1300 block of Seventh Street NW, at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 8, 2020, thinking he was going to meet the woman. Whitaker and other unknown individuals pulled up in a white vehicle and shot and killed Mr. Cisse. Whitaker was a part of the Simple City “Avenue Crew,” and the shooting is believed to be related to crew rivalry. Whitaker was arrested on May 7, 2020 and has been detained ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department. In particular, they acknowledged the work of FBI Agent Eric Montgomery from CR-3, FBI Analyst Allyson Tilman from CR-6 and Detectives Michael Fulton and Krystal Boyd from the Metropolitan Police Department Homicide Division. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth, Paralegal Specialist Meridith McGarrity, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gauri Gopal, Julia Cosans, Gregory Kimak, and Sarah Santiago, and Sharon Donovan, Deputy Chief of the Office’s Homicide Section.