WASHINGTON — A 21-year-old man was sentenced 40 years in prison Wednesday for the murder of 15-year-old Gerald Watson.
Malik Holston was convicted of first-degree murder and other gun charges in November 2022. A judge handed down the sentence of 40 years for the murder charge. Sentences for the gun charges will be served at the same time, the judge ruled.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Watson had just left his home to play basketball after school, in December 2018, when 16-year-old Holston and another teen started following him.
Armed and wearing ski masks, they chased him as Watson ran into an apartment building on Knox Place SE.
Holston cornered Watson inside – as he screamed for help and tried to get someone to open their apartment door.
That’s when the U.S. Attorney said Holston shot him 16 times, killing him.
He was arrested days later and has been in custody ever since.
Back in 2019 -- on the one-year-anniversary of her son's death -- Kimberly Watson let WUSA9 accompany her to her son's gravesite.
There, they released balloons, and she said, "We still miss him so much. It just hurts that I got to come here and see you. I got to see a tombstone of my baby…I really wish this violence stuff stops. Innocent kids getting killed for no reason, it just hurts so bad. I just want everybody to stay positive and just put the guns down, it's not worth it."
The other person involved in his death was shot and killed in an unrelated case back in 2019.