A D.C. woman who fled a traffic stop on Rock Creek Parkway and crashed into a Lyft car, killing all three men inside in 2023, has been sentenced to 29 years in prison for their deaths.
Nakita Walker was found guilty in April of three counts of involuntary manslaughter, fleeing a law enforcement officer and assault with a dangerous weapon.
Walker was driving 100 mph when she crashed into a Honda at about 1:30 a.m. March 15, 2023, an expert witness testified.
The crash victims were Mohamed Kamara, 42; Olvin Torres Velasquez, 22; and Jonathan Cabrera Mendez, 23. Kamara was driving for Lyft to send money home to his family in Sierra Leone. His two passengers were on their way home to Arlington after a night out in D.C.
Family members of the victims spoke about their loss in court Thursday before the judge sentenced Walker.
Mendez’s mother and brother both wiped away tears as they spoke about the pain of losing him.
“This is a permanent tragedy. … No sentence can return my son to me … but the sentence could show that his life matters. … Mendez was everything to me. … My heart was broken forever when he lost his life,” Mendez’s mother said.
Walker addressed the court, sobbing at times.
“Today I take accountability for what happened. I pray for forgiveness because their lives mattered, too. I don’t have any excuses,” she said. “I didn’t know the victims personally, but I walk with them every day. It was never my intent nor would I ever want to cause harm to you or your loved ones.”
The judge told Walker she had numerous chances to change her life around after getting three previous DUI convictions before the deadly crash. Walker had also been arrested for driving without a license and was not supposed to be driving at the time.
Police body camera video shows the moments before and after the tragedy. An officer pulled over Walker near the Kennedy Center and asked why she was speeding.
“Is there a reason you’re driving, like, 80 miles an hour, blowing red lights?” an officer asks.
Walker was behind the wheel and Donnell Thomas, who was not charged, was in the passenger seat, prosecutors said. Walker told the officer she was rushing to get home to her son, who she said was 10 years old and alone.
Thomas can be seen on video pouring out of the window what was revealed in testimony to be liquor out of a cup before the officer noticed what appeared to be marijuana in his pocket. The officer informed him he couldn’t have marijuana on federal property and confiscated it.
A few seconds later, the video shows Walker speed off.
A short time after Walker fled the traffic stop, she slammed into the Lyft car, killing all three men inside.
A U.S. Park Police officer’s body camera showed him arriving at the crash scene. Walker is seen on the ground.
Body camera video from a D.C. officer responding to the crash captured the moment he realized all three men were dead.
Prosecutors said Walker had a blood alcohol content of 0.10, which is 0.02 above the legal limit.
Thomas testified under a grant of immunity, saying he had been concerned with Walker’s behavior that night. Thomas told the court he told Walker at least twice that he should drive but she insisted.
On the witness stand, Thomas testified that Walker sped off because the officer was harassing him for having liquor in a cup and marijuana in his pocket.
Thomas testified that he pulled Walker out of the car after the crash. A man who came upon the crash scene before police arrived testified that he pulled her out.
D.C.’s chief medical examiner told jurors the men all died of multiple blunt force trauma injuries. As the jury was shown autopsy photos of the victims, Walker never looked up from her seat at the defense table.
Walker’s attorney has always maintained that what happened that night was an accident.
“It was a difficult case because it clearly was not intentional. She has a lot of remorse for the families. I think the biggest issue here is that it happened. It was an accident and she feels terrible about it,” he said. “I mean, when one of the witnesses said her son didn’t make it to 22, she lost it. She broke down. She couldn’t hold herself together. It is a very unfortunate situation.”
Jamie Carter, who prosecuted the case for the U.S. attorney’s office, declined to comment.
Walker, now 46, has been in custody since her arrest in 2023 and now faces years in prison. According to D.C. Code, she faces up to 30 years in prison on each count of involuntary manslaughter.
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