Parties presented opening arguments in a homicide trial before DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz on July 28.
Vanessa Bonaparte, 34, is charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed and destruction of property valued at $1,000 or more for her alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of her former romantic partner, 31-year-old Dwayne Boyd. The incident occurred on June 22, 2024 on the 3500 block of East Capitol Street, SE. Boyd sustained two stab wounds to his chest and died on the scene.
Prosecutors claimed in their opening arguments that Bonaparte came to Boyd’s apartment with violent intentions. Defense attorneys, Roderick Thompson and Kevann Gardner, argued Bonaparte killed Boyd in an act of self-defense, not jealousy.
The prosecution and defense described the events leading up to Boyd’s death in two distinct ways, but they agreed on some facts.
Both parties agreed that on the day of the incident Boyd, Boyd’s romantic partner, Bonaparte, and Bonaparte’s boyfriend smoked methylamenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), also known as the hallucinogen Molly, watched movies, and sorted through clothes. Later, parties said Bonaparte entered Boyd’s apartment and stabbed Boyd with two knives in the kitchen.
According to prosecutors, Bonaparte intended to kill Boyd’s romantic partner because she was angry that they reconciled.
“Vanessa Bonaparte was going to get her way no matter what,” the prosecutor said.
The prosecutors said Boyd and his romantic partner were preparing to leave their apartment when Bonaparte stabbed Boyd.
Earlier in the day, prosecutors alleged Bonaparte told the romantic partner “I’m so mad I could fight you right now.” Prosecutors said the romantic partner later returned to the apartment, and soon after Bonaparte started belligerently banging on the front door as though she was “trying to kick the door in.”
According to prosecutors, Bonaparte broke five of Boyd’s apartment windows before coming in. In later testimony, the romantic partner claimed that Bonaparte kicked the first window with her foot, then used a black crowbar for the rest of the windows.
At the end of their opening argument, prosecutors played body-worn camera footage from the day of the incident, showing Bonaparte hurriedly leaving the apartment building and the officers discovering Boyd’s blood-covered body.
Thompson argued Boyd “got himself stabbed” by physically assaulting Bonaparte that day.
According to Thompson, Bonaparte left Boyd’s “trap house” after they smoked molly, but forgot her bag inside. Allegedly, when she returned to retrieve her bag, the romantic partner and Boyd would not let her in.
Thompson said when the romantic partner and Boyd eventually let Bonaparte in, Boyd started to beat her. According to Thompson, Boyd grabbed Bonaparte by the throat until her “feet [were] off the ground.” At that moment, Thompson said, Bonaparte grabbed two knives off the counter behind her and stabbed Boyd in the lung and heart.
“Ms. Bonaparte caused those wounds, but sometimes survival looks ugly,” Thompson said.
Thompson told the jury to expect a “parade of women” to testify to Boyd allegedly committing acts of domestic violence and “terrorizing the women in his life since the Obama administration.”
Thompson concluded his opening argument by comparing the prosecution’s case to Will Hunting from the 1997 film Good Will Hunting. He said, just like Will, the prosecution’s case is inadequate because it relies on theory, not real world experience.
Thompson encouraged the jury to be like Robin Williams’ character, Sean Maguire, and use their “738 years of combined life experience” to interpret the facts presented at trial.
Boyd’s romantic partner, who claimed to be his fiancée, then testified. US Marshals arrested the witness in the early hours of the morning after she failed to appear in court the day prior.
Boyd’s romantic partner was noticeably emotional throughout her testimony, especially during her description of Boyd. She had to take a five-minute break because she said it was her first time seeing Bonaparte since the incident.
“He was a bright spirit. He was very funny, very ambitious, hard worker,” she said. “I miss him so much. This is very hard.”
Throughout her testimony, the witness had trouble recalling what happened and relied on her previous grand jury testimony.
The romantic partner revealed she and Boyd were inseparable after meeting while buying Molly. They eventually moved into a vacant apartment, where the incident occurred.
Boyd choked his romantic partner in response to finding out she had an abortion without telling him and they had a break.
“I did not want to have kids at that time,” she first said, but then agreed she should’ve told Boyd about the abortion, “I was wrong. I lied to him.”
While the romantic partner and Boyd were on a break, she claimed Boyd had sex with Bonaparte. After Boyd and the romantic partner reconciled, she met Bonaparte and said she felt uncomfortable around her.
The day of Boyd’s death, the romantic partner said she and Boyd “boosted” items from stores and separated to sell them. The romantic partner said in an encounter outside of a convenience store, Bonaparte reportedly tried to fight her, but she walked away and returned to the apartment.
Later, the romantic partner testified that Bonaparte banged on the apartment door, demanding to be let in. According to the witness, Bonaparte said Boyd told her they would be together and yelled, “did you know we had sex?”
The romantic partner said Boyd returned to the apartment and tried to calm Bonaparte down. He then went inside and told the romantic partner to gather their things.
According to the romantic partner, Bonaparte broke into the apartment and Boyd blocked her. The witness recalled hearing Bonaparte say ,“Let me get her, she’s in the way.” Boyd and Bonaparte got into a tussle, said the witness, and Bonaparte slid through the door, ran down the hallway to the living room and kitchen. Boyd followed her.
Then, the witness heard Boyd say “[Bonaparte], Oh my god, why would you do that? What’s wrong with you?” Boyd came into the bedroom with the witness and closed the door behind him.
In the bedroom, Boyd put his back against the door, and said “don’t go out there.” His shirt was wet with blood, and he was panting. She saw blood dripping onto the floor. “It sounded like water hitting the floor. There was so much blood.” He pulled his shirt down, and the witness said she saw two “dripping” wounds.
During the romantic partner’s testimony, the prosecution read her grand jury testimony to the jury. In the grand jury testimony, she said Bonaparte would get her boyfriend and weapons to break Boyd’s windows and enter the apartment. In response, Gardner requested a mistrial because the mention of weapons was not specifically admitted into evidence.
Gardner said “the bell can’t be unrung” and that a mistrial was necessary. Judge Kravitz said he would review the recording of the trial later that night.
As a result of time constraints, the romantic partner will continue her direct examination on July 29, but Judge Kravitz opted to keep her held overnight.
