Mohammad Anwar’s 15-year-old killer takes guilty plea deal, she’ll get just 6 years at most for fatal carjacking
The 15-year-old girl in Washington DC, charged as a juvenile in the fatal carjacking of a food delivery driver Mohammad Anwar, pleaded guilty to the murder. She reportedly pleaded guilty to the March 23 murder on May 5, a court spokesman said.
As per reports, in return for pleading guilty to murder, other charges including armed carjacking, robbery, and aggravated reckless driving were dropped. She will be sentenced on June 4 and, as part of the deal, will serve a maximum of six years, until she is 21.
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A second girl, aged 13, also has been charged with felony murder and other crimes in the March 23 carjacking of the Pakistani immigrant. Her case remains unresolved, according to the spokeswoman.
Because the girls were charged as juveniles, they have not been publicly identified by authorities and their court hearings have been closed to the public. Lawyers are barred by court rules from commenting publicly on juvenile matters. A relative of Anwar told the Washington Post that his family would not comment on the court proceedings until the 13-year-old girl’s case has been resolved.
Court spokeswoman Claire Huber told the Post that the 15-year-old girl’s sentencing is scheduled for June 4. She can be confined in a juvenile facility only until she turns 21, after which, she must be released. Juvenile authorities could free her much sooner if they deem her to be rehabilitated. Because of her age, under DC law, authorities cannot prosecute the 13-year-old girl as an adult, even for murder.
On March 23, the two girls were charged with felony murder after DC police said their attempt to carjack Anwar outside Nationals Park ended in a crash that fatally injured the man. A DC police spokesman said at the time that at least one of the two girls was armed with a stun device, which was found inside the crashed vehicle.
The 66-year-old immigrant from Pakistan who lived in Virginia was working as a driver for Uber Eats. The fatal incident occurred at about 4:30 pm on March 23, near N and Van streets SE, near South Capitol Street. Reportedly, there was a struggle inside the Honda Accord, and the car accelerated, crashing into parked vehicles and bending a metal rack before turning on its side. Anwar, who lived in Springfield, was thrown from the vehicle. Police said the teens ran but were quickly apprehended by police. Anwar died at a hospital.
Anwar’s family had said that he was the main financial provider. He immigrated in 2014 “to build a better life for himself and his family,” they said. The family wrote that Anwar was a “friend who always provided a smile when you needed one.” Anwar is survived by three grown-up children (two in the US and one in Pakistan) and four grandchildren (in Pakistan), and his wife.