Desmond Fletcher, 37, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was convicted of felony strangulation and two counts of misdemeanor assault for incidents in southeast Washington, D.C., on September 4, 2023. The jury delivered its verdict on Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office .

Prosecutors stated that Fletcher entered a woman's home in the early morning, followed her, and strangled her until she lost consciousness and urinated involuntarily, while her minor daughter was present. The victim escaped to a neighbor’s home and called 911. Sentencing is scheduled for June 13, before Judge Judith Pipe of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. According to a San Diego study cited by the U.S. Attorney, “…..the odds of becoming a victim of attempted homicide increased by 700%, and the odds of becoming a homicide victim increased by 800%, among women who had been strangled by their partner,” as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office .

U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith acknowledged the investigative work of the Metropolitan Police Department in securing a guilty verdict. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Trisha Jhunjhnuwala and Sarah Roessler, from the Domestic Violence Felony Unit of the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Section in the Superior Court Division, handled the prosecution, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office .