2025 Trial Date Set For ‘Avenue Crew of Simple City’ Conspiracy and Murder Case

By Rebecca Connor [former] - August 7, 2023
Court | Daily Stories | Documents | Homicides | Non-Fatal Shooting | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

On Aug. 4, DC Superior Court Judge Anthony Epstein set an August 2025 trial date for six defendants charged with conspiracy for a series of non-fatal shootings and homicides in 2020 and 2021 as part of the “Avenue Crew of Simple City.”

Co-defendants Nkobia Edwards, 20, Charles Hill Jr, 22, Dominique Franks, 22, Melvin Morris, 25, Michael Mason, 19, and Dajuan Jones, 22, are all currently being detained at the DC Jail under a separation order, which prohibits the defendants from interacting with one another as they await trial. 

All six men are charged with criminal street gang affiliation and conspiracy while armed relating to several non-fatal shootings and homicides taking place from January 2020 to June 2021.

Edwards, Hill, Franks, and Morris are all charged with multiple counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence, conspiracy while armed, criminal street gang affiliation, and several other felony charges related to the shooting of one individual while in the presence of dozens of witnesses at a construction site. The incident took place on June 17, 2021 on the 3200 block of 34th Street, NW. 

Edwards and Franks are both charged with a total of 18 counts, while Morris is charged with 17 and Hill with 24, though some of Hill’s charges stem from other incidents. 

Hill, Mason, and Jones are facing charges for their alleged involvement in the murder of 21-year-old Brea Moon on April 7, 2020 which took place on the 3900 block of Alabama Avenue, SE. 

Alongside criminal street gang affiliation and conspiracy while armed charges, Jones is also charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, assault with intent to kill, and several other charges related to Moon’s murder. Jones is facing a total of 16 charges

Mason also allegedly shot one victim, shortly after Moon’s murder, on Apr. 8, 2020 on the 300 block of Anacostia Road, SE. Mason is also facing charges for his alleged involvement in the murder of 18-year-old Antwuan Roach on May 22, 2020 on the 3800 block of East Capitol Street, NE. 

Mason has a total of 22 charges including the conspiracy while armed and criminal street gang affiliation charges faced by all of the defendants, as well as first-degree murder, assault with intent to kill, and possession of a firearm while committing a crime of violence. 

Defense attorneys for all six defendants filed motions to sever the charges, with attorneys for Edwards, Hill, and Franks filing a joint motion and attorneys for the other three defendants all filing severance motions separately. 

A motion to sever means to separate the charges, allowing each incident and the defendants involved in that one incident to be tried separately despite the alleged conspiracy. 

Judge Epstein denied all the severance motions, meaning that all incidents and defendants will head to trial together. 

According to court documents, the prosecution is alleging that all six defendants are part of the “Avenue Crew of Simple City” and conspired to “assault and kill” the crew’s adversaries. 

Due to the complexity of the case and the number of defendants and attorneys involved, much of the hearing on Aug. 4 was devoted to setting a trial date that worked for all parties. 

Ultimately, Judge Epstein set the trial for August of 2025 with a trial readiness date of June 20, 2025.