Third Suspect Charged with Murder in Slaying of Congressional Intern — Also Linked to Killing of Teen Girl

Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., have charged an 18-year-old District resident with two separate murders — one involving a congressional intern caught in crossfire and another involving a teenage girl whose body was found hidden inside an apartment closet.

Naqwan Antonio Lucas, known on the streets as “Qwan,” now faces a 16-count indictment for the June 30 killing of 21-year-old Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a congressional intern and University of Massachusetts–Amherst student, and a second indictment for the July 4 murder of 17-year-old Zoey Kelley. Both killings occurred within a span of days, underscoring what prosecutors have described as a growing pattern of armed juvenile violence in the nation’s capital.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, announcing the charges alongside officials from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), the FBI Washington Field Office, and the U.S. Marshals Service, did not mince words:

“These were predictable homicides based on the behavior of these individuals and the records that everyone knew about,” Pirro said. “Yet the D.C. Council is interested in protecting not the victims but the criminals under the guise of protecting the innocence of youth. It’s time for them to start protecting the citizens of the District.”

According to court filings, the first shooting occurred on June 30, 2025, near 7th and M Street NW, where Tarpinian-Jachym was walking when three armed suspects exited a stolen vehicle and began firing at two other young men. The congressional intern — an innocent bystander — was struck four times and died the following day. Five others were assaulted or injured during the gunfire.

Investigators say Kelvin Thomas Jr., 17, and Jailen Lucas, 17 — Naqwan’s younger brother — were arrested in early September and charged as adults with first-degree murder while armed in connection with Tarpinian’s death. Both are being held pending trial.

Less than a week later, the second murder shocked officers responding to a separate call on July 4, 2025, at the 1700 block of Benning Road NE. Inside an apartment, police discovered Zoey Kelley, 17, dead from a gunshot wound to the head. Her body had been stuffed into a storage container, wrapped in bedding, and placed inside a closet.

After months of investigation, Lucas was arrested in Montgomery Village, Maryland, by members of the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, MPD, and the U.S. Marshals Service. Authorities had recently announced a $75,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

Lucas appeared before Judge Dana Dayson in D.C. Superior Court, where he pleaded not guilty to both indictments. He remains in custody pending a November 7 status hearing with his co-defendants.

Federal and local investigators say both cases demonstrate a worsening convergence of violent youth crime, stolen vehicles, and retaliatory shootings across the D.C. region — a pattern that has claimed both community members and bystanders alike.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erin M. DeRiso and Anthony Cocuzza, with joint investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the FBI Washington Field Office.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants remain presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.

Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia — U.S. v. Naqwan Antonio Lucas et al., Case Nos. 2025 CF1 14017 (Eric Tarpinian-Jachym) and 2025 CF1 14016 (Zoey Kelley), filed October 30, 2025.

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