David Remen

Do you know who murdered David Ramen in 2019?
David Anthony Remen, a 32-year-old man from La Crosse, Wisconsin, was known to friends and family as a loving person with an awesome personality. A graduate of Onalaska and Logan High Schools, he was remembered as a beloved brother and son. He had moved to Washington, D.C., where he found work through a temporary labor agency, hoping to build a future for himself.

His life was cut short on Valentine's Day morning, February 14, 2019, in a sudden act of violence. At approximately 5:49 a.m., a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt and a mask entered the offices of Trojan Labor, a business in the 1700 block of Hamlin Street, Northeast, that placed workers in temporary jobs. The man opened fire inside the establishment, striking two employees. Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department's Fifth District responded to the scene and found both men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Emergency services transported them to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, David Remen was pronounced dead. The second victim, the agency's manager, Michael Hardy, was shot six times but survived the initial attack.

The investigation into the shooting was handled by the Metropolitan Police Department. Detectives recovered crucial evidence near the scene of the crime. A tip led them to a discarded Glock 19 semi-automatic pistol, along with clothing and a mask that had been thrown into neighborhood trash bins. Surveillance footage from the morning of the attack captured images of the shooter. Forensic analysis of the recovered items revealed DNA evidence that pointed to a suspect.

On October 24, 2019, police arrested 21-year-old Matthew Walker of Northeast, D.C. He was subsequently charged with first-degree murder while armed for the death of David Remen. The case against Walker moved to the courts, but the legal proceedings were complicated by questions regarding his mental state. In September 2021, a D.C. Superior Court judge found Walker mentally incompetent to stand trial. However, after treatment, he was deemed competent in March 2023. Prosecutors offered Walker a plea deal that included a 30-year prison sentence, but he rejected it, opting to go to trial.

The bench trial began in January 2024 before Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo. Prosecutors presented a compelling case built on video evidence, ballistic reports, and the DNA linking Walker to the crime scene. The court heard emotional testimony about the brutal and unprovoked nature of the attack. In a tragic update, the second victim, Michael Hardy, who had survived the shooting, passed away in 2022 from complications related to his injuries. Walker was also facing charges for a separate fatal stabbing that occurred in April 2019.

The judge found Matthew Walker guilty of the first-degree murder of David Remen. In October 2024, he was sentenced to 50 years of incarceration, to be followed by five years of supervised release. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith acknowledged the extensive work of the police department and the U.S. Attorney's Office in bringing the case to a close and securing justice for David Remen and his family.