DC Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz denied a defense request for a mistrial in a fatal stabbing case after disputed testimony from a key witness 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 interest, 31-year-old Dwayne Boyd, on June 22, 2024, in the 3500 block of East Capitol Street, SE. Boyd sustained two stab wounds.
Without jurors in the courtroom, defense attorneys Kevann Gardner and Roderick Thompson moved for a mistrial after prosecutors read grand jury testimony from Boyd’s romantic partner. In the grand jury testimony, the witness said Bonaparte threatened to retrieve weapons from storage. Gardner and Thompson argued that the statement had not been admitted into evidence and should have been excluded from the trial.
Judge Kravitz denied the motion, finding the defense had advance notice of the testimony and multiple opportunities to object before it was presented to jurors.
In previous testimony, Boyd’s romantic partner claimed she was his fiancée. As Thompson began his cross-examination, Boyd’s romantic partner was visibly emotional while describing the night he proposed to her.
Thompson then accused the witness of not actually being engaged to Boyd because he had a wife. According to Thompson, the wife recently went to court and yelled at the witness, claiming she was involved in Boyd’s murder.
The romantic partner told Thompson she could not recall the answers to many of the defense’s questions. Thompson questioned the credibility of the witness, asking, “You’re reluctant to testify because of all the lies you’ve told?”
The romantic partner asked Thompson, “Are you going to ask questions about this case or are we going to waste more time?”
The romantic partner had been held by law enforcement for failing to appear in court to testify on July 27. Thompson showed body-worn camera footage of law enforcement executing a bench warrant and finding the witness standing in a bathtub.
Thompson also pointed out that the witness had asked the prosecution for money for transportation, cigarettes, and housing assistance in exchange for her testimony. The prosecution later clarified that despite her request, she received no financial assistance.
Finally, Thompson asked the witness about a fight between Boyd and herself on June 7, 2024. During this fight, the romantic partner alleged Boyd choked her and slammed her head into the ground.
In her redirect examination, the romantic partner explained her failure to previously appear in court. She said she had taken sleeping pills the night before she was supposed to testify and slept through the day. When law enforcement later found the witness, she claimed sleeping pills again had caused her to be confused and ultimately stand in the bathtub.
A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) patrol officer was also called to stand by the prosecution. The officer testified that she arrived at the scene following a 911 call and saw Bonaparte leaving the scene, not yet aware of the situation.
The officer authenticated her body-worn camera footage from the scene, which was shown to the jury. The video showed the officer approaching Bonaparte and Boyd’s romantic partner at the scene in addition to Boyd unconscious on the floor in a pool of blood.
In cross-examination, Gardner confirmed that the officer did not know what had transpired before she arrived at the scene.
Without the jury present, Judge Kravitz ruled to exclude other body-worn camera footage of Boyd’s romantic partner identifying Bonaparte as the suspect. Judge Kravitz emphasized that the prosecution previously entered pieces of evidence reportedly identifying Bonaparte as the suspect in court.
In response to his ruling, the prosecution used a different piece of case law to make a new argument. Judge Kravitz appeared frustrated with the prosecution, emphasizing, “repeating something does not make it more likely to be true.”
The prosecution then asked if the defense would stipulate to identify Bonaparte as the one who stabbed Boyd. The defense immediately responded “no,” and Judge Kravitz asked if the prosecution thought that was a reasonable request.
Judge Kravitz suggested the prosecution be better prepared in presenting their arguments and upheld his original ruling.
Parties are slated to reconvene on July 30.
Coauthored by: Ethan Palgon, Michelle Sapozhnikov, Austin Pierce, Benjamin Messinger, Cole Baker
