Kirk Spencer, 30, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced on April 9, 2025, to 18 years in prison for the February 2021 shooting death of Marcus Covington.
Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein sentenced Spencer to the upper middle of the guideline period of incarceration, 18 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.
Spencer pleaded guilty on October 11, 2024, to one count of second-degree murder while armed with a firearm.
At approximately 1:35 p.m., on February 23, 2021, Spencer and the decedent, Covington, were on the Anacostia Metro platform in the 1100 block of Howard Road in Southeast, Washington, DC.
Video surveillance footage captured Spencer descending the escalator to the platform where he approached the victim, Covington. He greeted the victim with a half-hug, and the two engaged in a brief conversation.
At the end of the conversation, the defendant half-hugged Covington, and as Covington was turning to head back to the bench area on the platform, Spencer pulled a handgun from his pocket, held it to the side of Covington’s head and shot him twice.
Covington fell to the ground, and as he lay there, Spencer fired again and fled the station.
Covington was transported to Medstar Washington Hospital Centre, where he was pronounced dead early the next morning.
