Three Plead Guilty in Kidnapping and Armed Robbery Scheme Targeting Witness Through False Job Lure in Southeast Washington

Three individuals have pleaded guilty in federal court following a coordinated kidnapping and armed robbery in Southeast Washington, D.C., where two female victims were lured under the false pretense of a babysitting job and subjected to a violent assault designed to intimidate a witness connected to an active rape case.

Cierra Charity Lee, 20, and Kayvon Edwards, 21, both of the District of Columbia, entered guilty pleas to kidnapping and armed robbery charges before U.S. District Court Judge Christopher R. Cooper. Co-defendant Robynn Danielle Bynum, 18, of Fort Washington, Maryland, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges. Sentencing has been scheduled for Lee on August 4 and Edwards on September 10, with Bynum’s sentencing date pending.

The incident, which occurred on October 20, 2025, unfolded as a calculated operation rather than an opportunistic crime. According to court records, the victims responded to what they believed to be a legitimate babysitting opportunity, arriving at a residence near Suitland Parkway and Stanton Road SE. Once inside, they were directed into a basement area, where the situation rapidly escalated into a coordinated attack.

Evidence presented in court establishes that Robynn Danielle Bynum initiated the violence, stabbing one victim multiple times in the back and inflicting additional knife wounds on the second victim. Following the assault, both victims were forcibly moved into a bathroom, restrained with duct tape, and held against their will. The confinement phase of the incident introduced a second layer of intent beyond robbery.

While the victims were bound, Cierra Charity Lee interrogated one of them regarding a pending rape case involving Kayvon Edwards in Prince George’s County. This interaction confirms that the attack was directly tied to witness intimidation efforts, transforming the crime from a violent robbery into a targeted attempt to interfere with judicial proceedings.

The perpetrators proceeded to search the victims, stealing personal property including mobile phones and vehicle keys. The operation then transitioned into a transport phase, where the victims were forced into a vehicle under the threat of further harm and told they would be taken out of state to Pennsylvania. That plan collapsed due to a mechanical failure involving a flat tire, which disrupted the movement and ultimately led to the abandonment of both the vehicle and the victims.

Despite the severity of their injuries, the victims were able to escape and seek assistance. Responding officers later located the vehicle in the 3200 block of M Street SE, where physical evidence—including blood staining and duct tape remnants—corroborated the sequence of events described in court filings.

The most critical element of the case involves the role of Kayvon Edwards, who was in custody at the time of the attack, awaiting trial on rape charges. Investigators determined that Edwards orchestrated the entire operation remotely through a series of monitored jail communications. Recorded calls revealed direct instruction, including guidance on execution, warnings about law enforcement detection, and explicit direction to restrain and silence the targeted victim to prevent court testimony.

These communications demonstrate a structured command-and-control dynamic, where Edwards acted as the central coordinator despite physical confinement. His directives to Lee and Bynum included ensuring the victim could not escape and applying pressure intended to compel withdrawal from the pending case. Lee, in turn, reassured Edwards during those communications that the victim would not appear in court, reinforcing the objective of obstructing justice.

The case reflects a convergence of violent crime and judicial interference, where traditional robbery tactics were repurposed to serve a targeted legal objective. The use of deception to lure victims, combined with physical violence and coordinated communication from within a detention environment, introduces significant concerns regarding the exploitation of communication channels by incarcerated individuals to direct external criminal activity.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department led the investigation, working jointly to reconstruct the sequence of events, secure physical and digital evidence, and establish the link between the defendants. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Satter.

All three defendants now face sentencing under federal guidelines, with penalties reflecting both the violent nature of the offenses and the attempted obstruction of an active criminal case. The outcome of this case underscores the legal exposure tied to coordinated acts of violence used to influence judicial proceedings, particularly when those actions are directed through structured communication networks that extend beyond physical custody.

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