Jury Finds Maryland Man Guilty of 2022 Vehicular Homicide and Assault

WASHINGTON - Spiro Stafilatos, 38, of Silver Spring, MD, was found guilty today by a jury in D.C. Superior Court, for the vehicular death of pedestrian, Shuyu Sui, in December 2022, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

Stafilatos was found guilty of one count each of second-degree murder, aggravated assault while armed and fleeing. The Honorable Rainey Brandt scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2026.

According to court documents, at approximately 4:28 p.m., on December 30, 2022, Stafilatos was driving a dark Buick LeSabre sedan along the 700 block of 14^th Street, NW, near the White House. Uniformed U.S. Secret Service agents, on mountain bikes, observed that the vehicle's front tag was missing and the Maryland hard tag in the rear had no sticker. The Buick was then observed turning right into the 1400 block of G Street, NW and proceeded to the 700 block of 15^th Street, NW, where it stopped and let a passenger out. Officers positioned themselves behind the vehicle and ran the tags through dispatcher, who advised that the tag belonged to a 2016 Chevrolet.

As officers approached the vehicle, identified themselves, and made contact with the defendant, they advised Stafilatos of his infraction, to which the defendant asked if he was going to get a ticket. Officers asked for the defendant's license, which he did not provide. Also, during the stop, officers noticed what they believed to be an open beer container to the right of the driver. While conducting the traffic stop, the officers noticed that the vehicle was still in drive and instructed Stafilatos to put the car in park. Instead, the defendant fled the scene, travelling north on 15^th Street, NW before turning onto the 1400 block of New York Avenue, NW. As the vehicle entered an intersection on a solid red traffic signal, it was struck by another vehicle who was driving on a green traffic signal and the impact caused the Buick to rotate counterclockwise and strike two pedestrians, who were walking nearby in the crosswalk. Both pedestrians were thrown and fell into the road in the middle of New York Avenue, NW. Both victims were transported to local hospitals. Despite all life-saving measures, one victim, Shuyu Sui, was pronounced dead at Medstar Washington Hospital Center. The second victim, Jiahui Wang, was transported to George Washington University Hospital, where she was treated for trauma to the body and head.

Stafilatos was transported to Howard University Hospital for complaints of pain in the head and back. He was placed under arrest and has been in custody since.

Joining in the announcement was Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie Carter and Will Lawrence.

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