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District resident Mussay Rezene was found guilty of first-degree murder while armed for a shooting that took place in September 2021, federal authorities announced on Friday afternoon.
According to court documents, at around 9 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2021, 17-year-old Brayan Villatoro was with a group of friends driving in a minivan to a family party when he asked the driver to pull over so he could meet someone in the 1300 block of Nicholson Street NW.
When they arrived, prosecutors say that Villatoro got out and waited in front of an apartment building until Rezene arrived in a stolen vehicle and directed the teen to a nearby alley.
Moments later, gunshots rang out, with Villatoro being struck eight times before Rezene fled and his friends in the van sped away.
Officers were called to the sounds of the gunshots, where Villatoro was pronounced dead by first responders at the scene.
Investigators say that Rezene was identified in surveillance video as wearing "distinct shoes and clothing" that were later matched to a photo posted on social media after Villatoro's murder.
Cell site data also showed Rezene was present both at the scene of the murder and along the path of the vehicle that Rezene owned, they added.
When he is sentenced in March, Rezene faces up to 60 yers in prison for the murder charge.
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