WASHINGTON – Robert Horne, 36, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 15-year prison term for assaulting the victim, his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, with a firearm, discharging the gun in public to threaten the victim, and then trying to cover up the crime by asking the victim to lie, announced U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips.
Horne was found guilty by a jury in February 2017 of assault with a dangerous weapon, felony threats, obstruction of justice, contempt of court, and related firearms offenses. The verdict followed a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. He was sentenced by the Honorable Danya A. Dayson. Following his prison term, Horne will be placed on eight years of supervised release.
According to the government’s evidence, early on April 13, 2016, Horne’s ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, the victim, found Horne in a drunken state, passed out in his ex-girlfriend’s apartment in Southwest Washington. The victim, anticipating a fight between Horne and Horne’s ex-girlfriend, walked out of the apartment to de-escalate the situation. The victim thereafter waited in the lobby, charging his phone, waiting for Horne to leave.
However, after leaving the apartment, Horne found the victim and began to scream at him for interfering with his family. The victim once again tried to calm Horne, to no avail. Instead, Horne brandished a weapon, pistol-whipped the victim in the face, and then dragged the victim outside. Once outside, Horne continued to threaten the victim as the victim held his hands up in surrender. Horne then shot the gun into the air and fled the scene.
Officers with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) stopped Horne shortly after the gunshot and found him with the weapon. He was arrested and later ordered by the Court to stay away from and have no contact with the victim. Regardless, Horne began to violate these stay-away conditions and tried to contact the victim through his ex-girlfriend. He wrote letters and begged his ex-girlfriend to convince the victim to drop the charges, recant his testimony, and lie in court. He even offered to pay the victim $2,000 to avoid any involvement in the case.
The victim refused these offers. His testimony at trial helped to convict the defendant, along with other evidence, including video footage from the apartment complex, ShotSpotter evidence, and police officer testimony.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Gorman, Christopher Bruckmann, and Kamil E. Shields; Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail; Litigation Technology Specialists Aneela Bhatia and Anisha Bhatia; Victim/Witness Advocate Lu Lan; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Wanda Queen, and Intern A.J. Carvalho. Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Brooks and Louis Manzo, who investigated and prosecuted the case.