Two 17-year-old young people have been arrested for the murder of the Internal Congress Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, US prosecutor of the Columbia district Jeanine Pirro announced on Friday.
Researchers are still looking for a third suspect, which is also less.
Tarpinian-Jachym, 21, was killed by street bullets in Washington on June 30.
Jalen Lucas and Kelvin Thomas Jr. are being accused of first degree murder in the murder. They will be prosecuted as adults, he said.
Tarpinian-Jachym, a internsary of the representative Ron Estes, was shot four times in the night shooting, the researchers said. He was a last year student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Pirro said.
“He was an innocent spectator who was caught in a violent act that was not intended for him,” Pirro said. “His death is a marked reminder of how fragile life is and how violence visits us too often in the capital of the nation.”
Prosecutor Jeanine Pirro speaks at a press conference that announces arrests in the murder of the Eric Tarpinian-Jachym Congress on September 5, 2025 in Washington.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Prosecutors expect more positions to be added after the case will be presented to a large jury, Pirro said.
The researchers said they were able to identify the suspects by reviewing several videos in the DC area and the realization of multiple interviews. The suspects were arrested in DC, authorities said.
The suspects have previous violent youth records in the Family Court, Pirro said, arguing that he needs the authority to prosecute smaller children, Pirro said.
Pirro used the press conference to strongly denounce the Council of the City of DC, which argued that he has hindered the ability of his office to arrest and accuse minors accused of committing acts of violence in the district.
“The DC Council has coded young criminals for years,” Pirro said. “They reject the mandatory minimums that the law requires. They do not force judges to follow the law.”
