A detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) testified in a homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Danya Dayson on April 21.
Jamil Whitley, 38, is charged with first-degree murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license outside a home or business, and unlawful possession of a firearm with a prior conviction for his alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of 32-year-old Kevin Redd on the 4700 block of Jay Street, NE on June 11, 2020. Redd sustained gunshot wounds to his left shoulder, forearm, and chest.
Whitely’s attorney, Madalyn Harvey, called the lead MPD detective on the case to testify.
Before the detective was called to testify, parties discussed what the defense would be allowed to ask during direct examination.
Harvey wanted to argue the detective failed to investigate. She wanted to ask the detective about multiple people that Redd was in contact with before his death, including a person Redd’s mother indicated as a potential suspect.
The prosecution said the foundation hadn’t been made to say the detective’s investigation didn’t follow standard procedure. They continued that the defense’s argument relied on hearsay, out-of-court statements, since Harvey would be referencing texts from Redd’s phone.
Judge Dayson ruled in favor of Harvey’s request because of potential connections to the investigation.
With the jury present, Harvey asked the detective if she tried to find the person Redd was contacting the night before the incident. The detective said she couldn’t remember the person’s name, and didn’t remember if she made any effort in trying to find them.
The detective also couldn’t remember the person Redd’s mother asked her to investigate, and said she had nothing in her notes about the person.
The detective said she “sometimes” recorded what she did in investigations, and frequently referenced her old notes in an attempt to answer Harvey’s questions.
Judge Dayson told the jury they should use the detective’s testimony to evaluate the investigation process rather than to interpret her findings as facts.
According to the detective investigated Redd’s murder for over a year before she arrested Whitley.
On cross-examination, the detective told prosecutors that she obtained surveillance footage from the Shell gas station of the suspect vehicle entering the alley where the shooting occurred. She brought the footage to the Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for video enhancement regarding the license plate. However, according to the detective, the vehicle’s plate was unreadable.
The detective said she conducted a search of Whitley’s residence in June 2021, and retrieved a key fob and a cell phone. She noted that the key fob did not belong to a Chrysler, referring to the vehicle owned by Whitley’s wife, that prosecutors allege he drove during the shooting.
She said she searched the property for the vehicle depicted in the Shell footage but was unable to locate it. She confirmed that MPD previously released a “Be on the Lookout” (BOLO) instruction to the public for the suspected vehicle.
The detective also told prosecutors about her interviews with several witnesses.
She said that she learned from multiple sources, including Redd’s manager, that there was hostility between Redd’s wife and his mother. Redd’s mother, who is now deceased, previously told the detective she thought his wife was involved in his death.
The detective also discussed her interview with Redd’s co-worker, who reported dropping Redd off at the Shell gas station. The co-worker said he dropped Redd off between 1:00 a. m. and 1:30 a. m. in a blue 2020 Toyota Corolla. The detective said the surveillance footage corroborated this account.
The detective also told prosecutors that during her investigation Redd’s manager gave her the phone number of the woman that Redd was allegedly trying to meet up with the night of the incident.
The prosecution will continue their cross-examination of the detective during the next hearing on April 22.
