A 19-year Alexandria woman has been found guilty by a jury to charges related to the death of a man who was struck by a train last September at the Potomac Yard Metro station.
Jamaya Ann Burch was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and assault and battery for her actions on Sept. 22, 2025 leading to the death of 40-year-old James Halley Lynt. The jury found that Burch and her then-girlfriend attacked Lynt at the Metro station, leading to him trying to escape by jumping down from the station platform and getting struck by a train.
Involuntary manslaughter is a Class 5 felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Assault and battery is a Class 1 misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in prison and/or a $2,500 fine.
“This offense involved every citizen’s nightmare: a violent attack on a victim selected at random, and resulting in his traumatic death. My thoughts are with Mr. Lynt’s family and friends.” Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter said in a statement. “While a successful prosecution cannot remedy the immense impact of the crime, I sincerely hope it might offer some solace to Mr. Lynt’s
friends and family.”
The trial started on Monday, with jurors ending the first day listening to the testimony of the station manager and a Metro Transit Police officer who responded to the incident. They also watched a 17-minute surveillance video showing Burch, then 18, and her 17-year-old girlfriend walk into the station holding hands when Lynt bumped into them as he walked to the station’s fare gates.
The video shows Burch and her girlfriend follow Lynt. After walking through the fare gate, Lynt turned around and shut it. The 17-year-old then jumped over the gate and Burch walked through another gate without paying and chased Lynt around the station. Lynt evaded them by putting a nearby portable safety barrier on steps leading down to the train platform.
Lynt was then chased and followed into a Metro train and back to the platform where the teenagers were both recorded “physically striking the victim,” according to court records. After being chased off a train, Lynt jumped down from the platform, stepped over two electrified third rails and walked toward the front of a train. The train then moved forward and struck him, and he later died at George Washington University Hospital.
Surveillance footage showed Burch and the 17-year-old take photos of Lynt with their phones and walk away from the station as first responders arrived.
Burch’s then-girlfriend was tried as a juvenile.
“My office can confirm that a juvenile codefendant was adjudicated delinquent of two charges, manslaughter and assault and battery, earlier this year and was subsequently committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice,” Porter said in a statement. “Given the laws regarding confidentiality in juvenile criminal cases, my office cannot provide additional information about the codefendant.”
Burch will be sentenced on Nov. 5.
