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Johnwann Elliott, 31, pleaded guilty on Dec. 16 to second-degree murder while armed and attempted assault with a dangerous weapon for the 2022 killing of 37-year-old Nikia Young, the US Attorney's Office said.
Elliott’s plea deal calls for a 21-year prison sentence followed by five years of supervised release, pending court approval.
According to investigators, Elliott exited a Metro bus near Minnesota Avenue and White Place SE at around midnight. on March 15, 2022, and moments later, he approached Young and another person at the intersection of Minnesota Avenue and 23rd Street SE, pulled out a .380-caliber handgun, and opened fire at close range in broad daylight.
Elliott fired seven shots, striking Young five times—in the face, chest, and hip—before fleeing the scene on foot and boarding the same Metro bus he had exited minutes earlier, officials said.
He was arrested on May 19, 2022, at a hotel in Northeast DC and has remained in custody since.
At the time of the murder, investigators made note that Elliott was on release pending trial for unauthorized use of a vehicle and under supervised release for a robbery conviction.
Sentencing is scheduled for March 14, 2025, officials said.
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