Jury Convicts Defendant in Homicide Over Sexual Slur

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A jury in DC Superior Court Judge Jason Park’s courtroom convicted a homicide defendant of all charges on March 4, following a two-week long trial.

Darrell Moore, 47, was convicted of first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during the crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Julius Hayes, 37, on April 3, 2021, at the 300 block of 18th Street, NE.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors provided evidence that Moore shot Hayes following an argument over rumors that Hayes had spread, alleging that Moore was having sexual relations with men.

However, Brandon Burrell, Moore’s attorney, attempted to debunk the prosecution’s argument, insisting that no gun or forensic evidence was found that tied Moore to the murder.

Moore, then 16, was convicted in 1995 along with his twin brother for the murder of a child and non-fatal shooting of the child’s mother. According to a press release from the Office of the US Attorney for DC, Moore was released in 2020 following a sentence reduction under the Incarceration Reduction Amendment Act (IRAA), which allows defendants to receive a reduced sentence if they were under 25 at the time of the incident.

Parties are slated to reconvene May 30 for sentencing.