NEWS ALERT: Pirro charges 2 teens with murder in slaying of congressional intern

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From the New York Post: DC US Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced Friday that two teenagers have been charged with first-degree murder and will be tried as adults for the slaying of a congressional intern in June — and that a third suspect is still being pursued.

Jalen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr., both 17, were apprehended in DC and charged with killing Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, in a July 1 shootout about a mile northeast of the White House.

The three gunmen allegedly unloaded 79 rounds from two rifles and a 9mm handgun at a “neighborhood crew” rival riding a bike, authorities said, but struck Tarpinian-Jachym and other bystanders.

“Eric didn’t deserve to be gunned down, and the system failed him — the system that felt that juveniles needed to be coddled. And it’s bad not to be gunned down on any street, but to be gunned down in our nation’s capital is an outrage,” Pirro said.

The suspects reportedly already had violent criminal charges prior to the shooting, and had been set free.

Blasting the policies of the DC City County, Pirro declared, “The DC Council thinks that these kids need to be protected. They don’t need to be protected. They need to be made accountable, and we need to be protected… This killing underscores why we need the authority to prosecute these younger kids, because they’re not kids, they’re criminals.”

Due to existing laws, the teens can’t be prosecuted under federal law, so instead will be prosecuted under the local DC law, which means, despite the horrific murder, they are not eligible for the death penalty.

Pirro is calling on Congress to repeal the local laws that stripped the power to prosecute minors from the US Attorney’s Office — giving it instead to the elected DC attorney general — and that let judges set aside the prison sentences of people under age 24 who commit crimes, the New York Post explained.

WATCH the press conference below, as Pirro announced the charges Friday morning. Joining Pirro was DC Mayor Muriel Bowser.

The search is still on for the 3rd suspect, and Pirro vows they will get him.

FBI Director Kash Patel wrote, ““Confirming: Thanks to the great work of @TheJusticeDept and @FBI, two suspects have been arrested in the murder of Capitol Hill intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym. @FBIWFO led the investigation and identification of the subjects and worked with the great men and women at MPD. We are delivering on President Trump’s promise to make DC safe again. @AGPamBondi – thanks for bringing the full force of Main Justice to this crucial operation.”

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote on X, “On June 30th, Congressional intern Eric Tarpinian-Jachym was senselessly murdered in Washington, D.C. Thanks to outstanding investigative work from @FBI, two of his suspected killers were just arrested. If convicted, they will face severe justice. We hope that this provides some measure of solace to his family.”

READ MORE from the New York Post.

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