Two Teens Charged With First-Degree Murder in Slaying of Congressional Intern, Pirro Announces

DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that two teenagers have been charged with first-degree murder and will be tried as adults for the slaying of a congressional intern — and that a third suspect is still being pursued.

Jalen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., both 17, were apprehended in DC and charged with fatally shooting Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, in a June 30 drive-by about a mile northeast of the White House.

The three gunmen allegedly unloaded 79 rounds from two rifles and a 9mm handgun at a “neighborhood crew” rival riding a bike, officials said, striking bystanders including Tarpinian-Jachym, who died July 1.

“Eric didn’t deserve to be gunned down, and the system failed him — the system that felt that juveniles needed to be coddled. And it’s bad enough to be gunned down on any street, but to be gunned down in our nation’s capital is an outrage,” Pirro said.

“The DC Council thinks that these kids need to be protected. They don’t need to be protected. They need to be made accountable, and we need to be protected… This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they’re not kids, they’re criminals.” (Read more from “Two Teens Charged With First-Degree Murder in Slaying of Congressional Intern, Pirro Announces” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr