Woman Sentenced for Shooting and Paralyzing Innocent Unarmed Man

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Washington, D.C. - United States Attorney Kenneth L. Wainstein announced that Barbara Graham, 49, of Capitol Heights, Maryland, was sentenced today by D.C. Superior Court Judge Michael Rankin to 10 years to life imprisonment after being found guilty by a jury on February 1, 2001, of Assault With Intent To Kill While Armed, Aggravated Assault While Armed, Mayhem While Armed, three separate counts of Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence, and other related gun charges. On April 30, 2001, Graham's co-defendant in this case, Erskine Moorer, was sentenced to 15 years to life for his role in the offense. According to the government's evidence, on January 26, 2000, at approximately 6:10 p.m., Barbara Graham approached a 22-year-old man by the name of Kikko Smith and asked him his name. Mr. Smith responded that his name was Kikko, whereupon Ms. Graham reached inside her purse, pulled out a handgun with an extended clip and began to chase Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith ran for his life and was then shot at and hit a number of times by Graham and her daughter's long term boyfriend, Erskine Moorer. One of the bullets struck Mr. Smith in his back, breaking his rib, collapsing his lung and eventually shattering his spine. Other shots struck Mr. Smith in his foot and head. Due to this incident, Mr. Smith spent over one year in either hospitals or assisted living facilities. He is now confined to a wheel chair and has no movement from the waist down. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Wainstein commended the injured victim, Kikko Smith and his family for their courage, and the investigative work of Metropolitan Police Department Detectives A.D. Williams, Lt. C.V. Morris, Willie Jefferson, Bruce Faison, Rita McCoy, Susan Blue, John Rhodes, Don Juan Monroe, Jamel Mayhew, Phillipe Moore, Donita Giles, Robert Mitchell, Anthony Mable, Wayne Marable, Demetrica "Flash" Cater, Gregory Stewart, Anthony Johnson, Edward Torrence, J.V. Francis, Calvin Hopkins, Ramonz Height, James Savage, Mary Mingo, J.D. Smith, and MPD and ATF firearms-tool marks examiners Torin Suber and Walter Dandridge. In addition, special thanks is given to former MPD Officer, and now Strurbridge Massachusetts Officer, Paul Newsham, for his assistance while still with MPD. A special note of thanks is also extended to Ms. Diane Hobdy, Leslie Faucette, Debbie Cannon and David Foster from the Victim Witness Assistance section for their help. Mr. Wainstein also commended the work of paralegal specialists Marion Russell and Wanda Trice and Assistant United States Attorneys Diana Harris Epps and Leutrell Osborne, II who indicted and prosecuted the case at trial.

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