A 22-year-old Kent man could be sentenced in March to more than 50 years in prison after a jury convicted him of three counts of first-degree attempted murder for stabbing three women in 2011 in Des Moines.
Jojo D. Ejonga is scheduled to be sentenced at 2:30 p.m. March 29 before King County Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent.
A jury convicted Ejonga Jan. 29 for the May 2011 knife attack on three unarmed women, one of whom was 7-months pregnant, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. He is in custody at the county jail at the RJC.
With the deadly weapon enhancements, Ejonga will face a sentence range of 51 to 66 years in prison, according to prosecutors. The jury also found by special verdict a basis for a potential exceptional sentence since one victim was pregnant at the time of the attack.
Ejonga had been friends with one of the women and her brother. Ejonga was kicked out of their Des Moines home for stealing money from the woman’s mother. Ejonga, claiming he would pay back money he owed for the theft and for damaging her car, met with the woman and two of her friends, but then, without warning, attacked them, according to charging papers.
The assault was so severe that two of the women were hospitalized in critical condition. When one of the women attempted to flee, Ejonga chased after her, and despite her pregnant condition, inflicted more stab wounds to her body. She underwent an emergency C-section and the baby survived.
A woman in her 50s, her daughter in her 20s and a family friend also in her 20s were attacked at about 11 p.m. May 8, 2011 in the 23000 block of 30th Avenue South, according to a Des Moines Police media release.
Des Moines Police located Ejonga at about 2:30 a.m. May 9, 2011 on South 240th Street near Pacific Highway South. He was taken into custody without incident.
Ejonga declined to talk to detectives or officers about the incident. Officers noticed that the man had a cut on his right hand and minor cuts to his face. Officers also observed blood on his shoes and socks, according to court documents. Officers found a cell phone and checkbook that belonged to one of the women in Ejonga’s possession.
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