At a July 1 status hearing, DC Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman said he will consider sanctions after an alleged murder weapon was incorporated into a sculpture in a 2014 murder case.
Charles Jeter, 40, and Kevin Sewell, 35, are charged with conspiracy, first-degree premeditated murder while armed, felony murder while armed, three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and first-degree burglary while armed. These charges stem from their alleged involvement in the fatal shooting of Sewell’s father, 46-year-old Kevin Robinson, on Nov. 30, 2014 on the 600 block of Edgewood Street, NE.
Prosecutors said two months after the incident in 2015, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) seized the shotgun they allege was used to murder Robinson, and neither Jeter nor Sewell’s DNA was found on it. The shotgun was then mistakenly destroyed in 2019 as part of the “Guns for Roses Project,” resulting in a 16-foot sculpture constructed of melted down, confiscated handguns, according to a June 26 defense filing.
Jeter’s attorney, Carrie Weletz, said not having physical access to the gun undercuts her ability to prepare her client’s defense.
“This is the piece of evidence that links my client to the shooting,” said Weletz, emphasizing the unique importance of the shotgun in the case. According to court documents, a witness allegedly said the gun belonged to Jeter.
If the gun had not been wrongly destroyed by MPD, Weletz noted that experts could have conducted additional DNA testing and analyzed how the markings on the gun’s bullet casings compared with the casings found at the crime scene which could help their case.
The prosecution claims Jeter allegedly hid the shotgun under his clothes when entering Robinson’s apartment, Weletz said that being able to physically present the jury with the shotgun at trial would highlight the difficulty of concealing such a large weapon.
Although Judge Edelman doubted the probative value of further DNA testing of the gun, as it was “floating around the community” for two months before being recovered, he agreed with Weletz that the ability to show the gun to the jury or cross-examined witnesses would help the defense.
To determine what sanctions might be appropriate, Judge Edelman said he will need further information about whether MPD was negligent in handling the evidence.
Judge Edelman asked prosecutors repeatedly about the procedures used to destroy firearms and how the firearm in this case “slipped away,” but the prosecution said they are unable to answer without an evidentiary hearing on the matter.
The prosecution said they would call witnesses to testify about MPD’s safeguards for preventing mistaken destruction of evidence.
At the end of the hearing, Sewell’s attorney, Joseph Fay, requested a review of his client’s release conditions, as Sewell has “taken control of his own life” and been on “good behavior” while on release.
Judge Edelman commended Sewell for his “perfect compliance over a long period of time” and accepted the defense’s request to eliminate Sewell’s curfew, while maintaining his regular check-ins with the Pretrial Services Agency (PSA) and GPS tracking.
Weletz moved for the same elimination of a curfew for Jeter, but Judge Edelman denied this request, as Jeter had reportedly been inconsistent in contacting his PSA officer in late 2025.
Parties are scheduled to reconvene on Oct. 16 for both a trial readiness and evidentiary hearing.
