U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro delivered a sharp rebuke to the Democrat-controlled D.C. Council on Thursday, stating that the fatal shooting of a young Capitol intern and a teenage girl by known offenders was the “inevitable outcome” of the city’s failed policies on crime.
Her remarks came as she announced a 16-count indictment against Naqwan Antonio Lucas, 18, for the June 30 murder of congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, and separate charges for the July 4 killing of 17-year-old Zoey Kelley. Pirro launched a blistering tirade against city leaders during a press conference, directly accusing them of “coddling repeat offenders.”
Pirro asserted that the homicides were “predictable,” given the known records and behavior of the accused individuals. She squarely blamed D.C.’s “permissive justice system” for fostering lawlessness, arguing that the D.C. Council is more focused on “protecting young criminals under the guise of protecting the innocence of youth” than on safeguarding the district’s citizens.
She demanded that city leaders prioritize public safety, dramatically describing the deteriorating conditions at one recent crime scene: “We’re having victims five blocks away, 79 rounds on the ground! This is normal behavior in D.C.,” she exclaimed, demanding “No more excuses from this council.”
The ongoing controversy is rooted in recent D.C. reforms that, prior to changes, saw courts routinely utilize GPS monitoring and community supervision instead of detention for juveniles, allowing hundreds of youth offenders with prior arrests to remain in the community pretrial each year.
The city’s crime wave has been a dominant theme in 2025 headlines, intensified by the murder of Tarpinian-Jachym and the brutal assault on government staffer Edward Coristine (known as “Big Balls“) after he attempted to stop a carjacking.
This surge led President Donald Trump to declare a public safety emergency and deploy the National Guard to restore order. This deployment has strong public backing, with a Harvard CAPS/Harris poll showing 54% of voters support the decision. Data from the D.C. Police Union suggests the deployment has had an immediate impact, with robberies dropping 42% and carjackings falling 85% in the first two weeks.
READ: Florida Sues California Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Business Taxation Rules At Supreme Court
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
