WASHINGTON — Nearly five years after 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson was shot and killed, a jury has found five men guilty of murder in connection to her death. One of the six men on trial was found not guilty of murder, but was found guilty of conspiracy instead.
Makiyah was walking back from an ice cream truck when she was hit by gunfire near her Northeast home in July 2018.
On Tuesday, after months of testimony, the jury found Qujuan Thomas, Quentin Michals, Darrise Jeffers, Isiah Murchison and Gregory Taylor guilty of murder. Marquell Cobbs was found not guilty of murder. All six men were found guilty of conspiracy.
They're scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6 and Oct. 10.
The trial of these six men connected to Makiyah's death began on Feb. 16, concluding nearly four months later with Tuesday's verdict.
Makiyah's mother, Donnetta, was inside when her daughter was shot on July 16, 2018, but eventually got the door open and the wounded people all "tumbled into her home in a bloody heap," Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Merikas told jurors during her opening statement. Makiyah's big sister Nyjhay picked her up and saw "the gaping hole in her chest."
"She wouldn't let go of her hand, even as they started chest compression," the prosecutor told jurors. "Makiyah Wilson was shot in the heart and died on her mother's doorstep!"
Police blame a long-running Clay Terrace neighborhood beef for the 50 shots over 20 seconds that killed Makiyah and injured four other people. A brief surveillance video of the barrage of gunfire was shown during trial. In the video, the courtroom saw four four gunmen climbing out of a black car and opening fire, with a getaway driver and six co-conspirators also present.
But defense attorney John Zucker hammered Nyjhay on Feb. 21 for never mentioning the Wellington Park gang that prosecutors say is responsible.
Police say the Wellington Park gang are affiliates of the "Glizzy Murder Crew," which has adopted the G from the Glock gun logo as its own.
During trial, prosecutors played a haunting music video in court. The rapper Lil Dude was seen singing in the courtyard of Clay Terrace, and a bunch of kids are rapping and dancing behind him. Among them was little Makiyah, bopping and smiling like she didn’t have a care in the world.
On May 16, during closing arguments, prosecutors urged the jurors to follow the guns, the texts, and the social media, to prove beyond any reasonable doubt the six men are guilty of conspiracy and first degree premeditated murder while armed.
Over the years the Wilson family has honored the 10-year-old numerous times. Her mother has repeatedly said Makiyah was "her everything," while Michael, Makiyah's father, said he could still feel her spirit when the sun shines.
WATCH NEXT: Trial begins in the brutal killing of a 10-year old girl near an ice cream truck in DC
Trial began on Feb. 16, 2023 for the six men charged in the death of Makiyah Wilson, and the shooting of four others in D.C.'s Clay Terrace neighborhood.