Defendant serving 7 months in prison for stabbing elderly man

By DC Witness Staff
– June 24, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | stab | Suspects |

Washington Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro sentenced a defendant to two years in prison, suspended for all but seven months for assault.

Janette George, 37, is charged with assault with a dangerous weapon on an elderly person, simple assault on an elderly person, carrying a dangerous weapon outside a house and assault with a dangerous weapon against a minor for an incident that occurred on November 6, 2023, in the 60th block of O Street, SW.

At sentencing on June 21, the prosecution argued that the seriousness of George's crime and the involvement of an elderly person should be taken into account in sentencing.

The prosecutor said the elderly man suffered pain from his injuries and had difficulty writing. According to court documents, George attacked the man with a knife.

The prosecution also highlighted George's lack of remorse and his drug use, saying his continued presence was a “trigger” for his neighbors and that she continually disrupted the safety and peace of the neighborhood.

“She doesn’t want to improve,” the prosecution said.

The prosecutor asked for consecutive sentences since there are multiple victims in this case.

George's defense attorney, Peter Cooper, argued that the underlying cause of the crime was George's mental health. The PCP she uses involves “self-medicating,” Cooper said.

“What are we doing here? What are we hoping to achieve in these rooms, in these buildings?” Cooper said.

Incarceration without any mental health or substance abuse treatment would not help, as George will eventually be released back into the community, Cooper argued.

“Locking him up” would just “kick the trash can,” he said.

Judge Di Toro agreed that mental health treatment would be necessary and important in George's case going forward.

“There is room for both punishment and rehabilitation,” she said.

Judge Di Toro recognized the pain and disruption caused by George's actions, particularly to the elderly victim. She also reiterated the defense's argument that the desired outcome is George's successful reintegration into the community.

Along with George's sentence, she will also be placed on 18 months of supervised probation, which will require her to undergo a mental health evaluation. Additionally, George must pay $100 to the Violent Crime Victims Fund.

Upon hearing the sentence, George became visibly emotional and shouted “I love you” to someone in the court.

“I love you too, keep your head up,” George’s loved one replied as George was escorted out of court.

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