Defense Calls Victim An ‘Unreliable Narrator’ in Stabbing Over A 10 Dollar Hat

By Tyler Davis - September 17, 2024
Daily Stories | stabbing | Suspects |

Jurors heard testimony and closing statements on the third day of trial in a stabbing case over an “I ♥ MILFS” hat, in DC Superior Court Judge Judith Pipe’s courtroom on Sept. 16. 

Tanade Warsame, 32, is charged with assault with significant bodily injury for his alleged involvement in a stabbing incident that left an individual injured on the 600 block of I Street, NW, on May 4. 

The victim testified that he and the defendant decided to fight in a dispute about whether the hat, displaying an abbreviation for a sexual reference, was stolen or purchased. According to the victim, Warsame allegedly escalated the confrontation, pulling out a knife and stabbing him. 

The victim also testified he and Warsame traded threats, and that Warsame did not say or do anything to suggest that he had a knife. The victim admitted that as he walked away from Warsame, he picked up a brick, assuming that the defendant would be following behind him. 

The prosecution also called the first officer who was on the scene and his body camera footage was shown to the jury. 

The officer testified that he saw both Warsame and the victim walking past him and his partner, whom Warsame greeted. A couple minutes later, he testified the victim returned, claiming “He stabbed me. He stabbed me for 10 dollars.” 

The victim was taken by ambulance to George Washington University Hospital due to the severity of his injuries where the victim identified the attack knife as a black kitchen knife with a silver blade. 

When questioned by the defense, the officer testified that he did not see the altercation, and was told by the victim that he had purchased the hat from Warsame. 

Another nearby officer testified that Warsame, was placed under arrest and asked whether or not he was injured, to which Warsame replied that he was not. Upon searching his bags, the officer testified, he found a knife matching the description given by the victim, with the blade bent. 

When questioned by the defense, the officer testified that he had no way of knowing if the blade was bent before the day of the incident. 

During closing remarks, the prosecution stated that this case is over a “tragically minor dispute” and that the victim never thought there was going to be a knife drawn that day. The prosecutor reminded the jury that the victim attempted to give the hat back to Warsame prior to the altercation. 

During the defense’s closing remarks, Brandon Burrell, Warsame’s attorney, reminded the jury that the surveillance footage showed the victim following Warsame and that the victim swung first, stressing that the victim was an “unreliable narrator.”

Burrell also said that the prosecution has the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that Warsame was not defending himself, which all the evidence points to, and “There is only one verdict that is demanded by justice.”

Parties will reconvene Sept. 17 for the prosecution’s rebuttal and jury deliberations.