In the opening arguments of a murder trial before DC Superior Court Judge Milton C. Lee Jr. on June 2, parties clashed over the circumstances of a fatal altercation involving two best friends.
Juan Guerra, 34, is charged with second-degree murder for his alleged involvement in the death of Peter Miller III, 32, who died from blunt force trauma on the 900 block of Maine Avenue, SW on Oct. 6, 2021. Miller succumbed to his injuries at George Washington University Hospital on Oct. 11, 2021.
On the first day of Guerra’s jury trial, both parties emphasized the close relationship between Guerra and Miller. The two men were roommates and longtime friends who played college football together at West Virginia University. The night of Oct. 5, 2021, they got into a physical altercation over a game of dice which resulted in Miller’s death, described by both defense and prosecutors from different perspectives.
At issues is whether or not Miller flashed a weapon at Guerra.
The prosecution opened with the assertion, “62 seconds. It takes at least 62 seconds to strangle someone…that is how the defendant killed his best friend.”
They argued that the primary cause of Miller’s death was manual strangulation resulting from the physical dispute between him and Guerra. The prosecution declared that, throughout the trial, multiple expert witnesses will verify that Guerra inflicted blunt force trauma against Miller’s head and neck through asphyxiation. The prosecution denied that Miller provoked Guerra by brandishing a gun. Instead, they claimed Guerra acted out of drunken anger.
“The idea that Juan strangled his best friend to death is absurd,” said Diana Yu, Guerra’s attorney, in her opening statement.
Yu emphasized the presence of a gun at the location of the incident. She alleged Miller possessed a nine millimeter gun which he showed to Guerra in the midst of the argument. Yu claimed then, Guerra attempted to disarm Miller.
According to Yu, the confrontation resulted in a fall in which Miller suffered a head injury and became unconscious. During Guerra’s earliest interactions with the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) about the case, he maintained that he was facing away from Miller and believed that he fell and injured his head, asserted Yu.
Yu concluded, “this is a tragic accident, not a murder.”
After openings, Miller’s father testified and described his son as having a “magnetic personality.”
The first responding MPD officer to the scene also testified and prosecutors played his body-worn camera footage. In the video, the officer alleged Guerra moved throughout the scene, searching for Miller’s identification. Later in the footage, Guerra was heard to repeat, “This n****r is dead.”
Defense attorney Kevin Mosley clarified that Guerra was searching for Miller’s identification at the officer’s request. Mosley also confirmed with the officer that Guerra was not attempting to move evidence and that the officer did not observe any bruising or scratches on Miller’s neck at the scene.
Mosley established that Guerra was “inconsolable” in body-worn camera footage as Miller was transported to the hospital. The officer testified that Guerra attempted to contact members of Miller’s family and inquired about Miller’s location but got no answer. Mosley claimed this was because Guerra hoped to direct Miller’s family to the correct hospital. The prosecution later clarified that the officer was unaware of Guerra’s motives for contacting Miller’s family.
Mosley established that when the officer arrived, he did not see a firearm magazine that was later located on a window ledge and that there were two unspent cartridges in the area surrounding Miller’s body. The responding officer was unaware of the cartridges’ location.
A Department of Forensic Sciences (DFS) employee who also testified, confirmed that there were gun cartridges and a firearm magazine found at the scene. The prosecutors later presented photo evidence of suspected blood spots on the floor and one cushion of the couch.
As a result of time constraints, the DFS employee will resume her testimony the next day of trial.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on June 3.
