Unprovoked Assault on a Psychiatrist at St. Elizabeth’s Gets Man 13 Year Prison Term

WASHINGTON - Anthony Braxton, 44, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced yesterday to 156 months in prison, for the offense of aggravated assault of a senior citizen, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

Braxton was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on September 5, 2024, of one count of aggravated assault of a senior citizen. The Honorable Andrea Hertzfeld sentenced Braxton on November 7, 2024, to 156 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.

According to the government's evidence, on April 23, 2020, the victim, a doctor at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, had responded to a call for assistance on his ward. As the victim was walking toward a colleague and another patient, Braxton approached the victim from behind and, totally unprovoked, punched the victim in the head, knocking him to the ground where he lay unconscious for several minutes. Over the next several weeks, the victim developed a life-threatening brain bleed that ultimately required two surgeries. The victim deals with lingering symptoms from his injuries to this day.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney's office. They acknowledged those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney's Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole H. Conte, Victim Assistance Specialist Deidria Ellis, Supervisory Paralegal Specialist Renee Prather, Lead Paralegal Specialist Tameka Garcia, Paralegal Specialist Abubakar Alawy, Supervisory IT Specialist Leif Hickling, and Special Agent Eric Pauta. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Huether, Julian Ginos, and Richard Carlton, who investigated and prosecuted the case.