New suspect arrested in killing of D.C. congressional intern

A new suspect has been charged in the killing of 21-year-old congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, who was fatally shot in downtown Washington, D.C., according to prosecutors. The same suspect is also accused in the murder of a teenage girl days later.

Naqwan Antonio Lucas, 18, known as “Qwan,” was charged in a 16-count indictment for the June 30 murder of Tarpinian-Jachym and in a second indictment for the July 4 murder of 17-year-old Zoey Kelley, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Tarpinian-Jachym, a rising senior at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, was killed near 7th and M Street NW when three armed suspects exited a stolen vehicle and opened fire at two young men, prosecutors said.

Tarpinian-Jachym, who was not the intended target, was struck four times and died the following day. Five others were also injured in the shooting.

Four days later, on July 4, police found Zoey Kelley dead from a gunshot wound to the head inside an apartment on Benning Road NE. Her body was discovered wrapped in bedding inside a storage container in a bedroom closet.

Lucas was arrested Tuesday night in Montgomery Village, Maryland, by members of the U.S. Marshals Service, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force.

“These were predictable homicides based upon the behavior of these individuals and the records that everyone knew about, yet the D.C. Council is interested in protecting not the victims but the criminals under the guise of protecting the innocence of youth,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said in a statement. “It’s time for them to start protecting the citizens of the District.”

Two 17-year-olds, Kelvin Thomas Jr. and Jailen Lucas, brother of Naqwan Lucas’ brother, were previously charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed in connection with the death of Tarpinian-Jachym.

Naqwan Lucas pleaded not guilty during an arraignment before D.C. Superior Court Judge Dana Dayson and will remain held until a status hearing on November 7.