A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer testified he found a gun inside a booster seat in the defendant’s vehicle during a homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan on April 29.
Robert Carpenter, 36, is charged with second-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction greater than one year for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 42-year-old Tremaine Nicholson on May 7, 2024 on the 3400 block of 25th Street, SE.
During opening statements, the prosecution asserted Nicholson was “unarmed, outnumbered, and shot in the back four times” by Carpenter. They alleged that Nicholson and the mother of his child, who Carpenter was romantically involved with, were verbally fighting when Carpenter shot him with the mother and her friends present. The prosecution concluded that Carpenter’s actions were unreasonable and unjustified because Nicholson did not harm or threaten anyone, and was unarmed.
Carpenter’s attorney, David Knight, claimed the prosecutors minimized the danger posed by Nicholson.
“He was like a terrorist who you couldn’t negotiate or reason with,” said Knight. They contended that Nicholson lunged at the mother to attack her, Carpenter fired a couple of shots, Nicholson reached in his waistband as if he had a weapon, and Carpenter fired more shots until Nicholson was down.
Prosecutors meanwhile asserted that despite the number of eyewitnesses it isn’t clear what occurred because the witnesses lied to cover-up Carpenter’s actions. They alleged that the mother told the witnesses to say that she shot Nicholson and they lied for her because they’re her friends.
Prosecutors urged the jury to consider the biases of the witnesses. “Subjective testimony does not always match the objective evidence,” said the prosecution. The prosecution said the jury will see evidence that cartridge casings from the scene were consistent with a firearm found in Carpenter’s vehicle.
Knight argued the prosecution tried to mislead the jury with an alleged cover-up.
Judge Ryan informed the jury that Carpenter’s girlfriend was charged with obstruction of justice and will not testify in the trial.
Knight concluded that Nicholson was “unpredictable, erratic, and dangerous” when he went to the mother’s home “unexpected, uninvited, and unwelcome.” Knight argued that Carpenter shot Nicholson to protect a single mother and everyone else in the apartment. “It felt life threatening,” said Knight, and asserted that the mother would be dead if Carpenter did not shoot Nicholson.
After opening arguments, the prosecution called an MPD officer, who testified that when she arrived on scene, the mother was “hysterical” outside the apartment. The witness said the mother confessed to police that she shot Nicholson but did not know where the murder weapon was and no weapons were found on the scene.
Another MPD officer testified that he responded to a call about a black truck related to the homicide on the 2400 block of Elvans Road, SE. The officer said when he arrived at the location there was no one inside or near the truck but there were individuals doing manual labor behind the apartments. He said that no one immediately claimed ownership of the truck but police collected the information of all individuals working in the area, including Carpenter.
A crime scene analyst from the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) testified that he searched the black truck at the DFS loading dock. The witness confirmed the truck was registered to Carpenter from documents found in the vehicle. He also said he found a firearm with 9mm cartridge casings inside the cushion of a booster seat. “I felt something clunky, cut the seat cushion open, and there was the firearm,” said the witness.
A DFS forensic scientist testified that 9mm cartridge casings were recovered from the crime scene.
The prosecution also called Carpenter’s former employer who testified that Carpenter worked the day of the incident cleaning up trash at a worksite behind an apartment building. The witness said that he left the site for a few hours between 11 a. m. and 2 p. m. and was unaware of any employees, including Carpenter, leaving the site in his absence. Prosecutors showed the witness surveillance footage, in which the witness identified Carpenter’s truck outside the apartment where the shooting occurred.
The trial is scheduled to resume on April 30.
