Multiple eyewitnesses testified about a fatal stabbing outside of Audi Field in a trial before DC Superior Court Judge Dayna Dayson on Sept. 14.
Wali Shabazz, 51, is charged with second-degree murder while armed and carrying a dangerous weapon outside a home or business. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in the fatal stabbing of Martin Gross Jr. on April 27, 2024 on the 100 block of T street, SW.
In Shabazz’s trial, the prosecution called an eyewitness who observed the fatal altercation outside of Audi Field.
The eyewitness testified that she was in a conversation with another person, heard two men arguing, and walked towards them to ask if everything was okay. According to the witness, when the men didn’t respond, she turned back, walked towards her prior conversation, and heard a louder noise.
The witness realized both men were on the ground with the victim was punching the suspect, who had a knife. She said she noticed the suspect was stabbing the victim. The witness said she moved closer to the men and told them to “stop.”
After the altercation ended, the suspect and another man walked into the entrance of Bike Valet DMV while the witness stayed with the victim. The witness saw the suspect return to the street a short time later, and alerted security, who stopped him.
She reported that the victim did not realize he’d been stabbed. She told him to stay in place and wait for help to arrive.
As the witness choked up on the stand, she recalled that the victim told her he was getting tired and said “I just want to go home.” The witness said she told him not to fall asleep because she believed he wouldn’t be able to recover from his injuries.
In cross-examination, Shabazz’s attorney, Lisbeth Sapirstein, confirmed that the witness did not see or hear how the physical altercation began.
The prosecution also called Shabazz and Gross’ coworker and another eyewitness to testify. The witness, victim, and defendant worked at Bike Valet DMV together.
The witness identified himself in video evidence standing near Shabazz during the entire altercation.
At approximately 6:12 p.m., the video showed Gross in Shabazz’s face before Shabazz shoved him. The coworker claimed he disarmed the situation by calling his boss and requesting Gross be sent home, saying he was difficult to work with.
The coworker confirmed that while Gross was usually very animated, he had arrived late to work and was more “exacerbated” and “energetic” on the day of the incident. The witness assumed Gross might have been drunk. The coworker also claimed that he did not expect a fight to happen, and that Shabazz only sounded annoyed and dismissive.
After Gross was told by his boss to leave work, he approached Shabazz and his coworker sitting on a bench at approximately 6:20 p.m. After Gross got close to Shabazz’s face and said he was off work, the coworker recalled the two pushed one another and began fighting.
When they fought, the coworker said he told Gross and Shabazz to stop but did not step in. He said he hoped the altercation would dissolve on its own. While the two were on the ground, he counted down from three in an effort to get them to let go of each other.
After the incident, the coworker stated that he told Shabazz in a random offhand comment that he should probably get rid of the knife.
In cross-examination, Shabazz’s other attorney, Michelle Stevens, emphasized with the coworker that Shabazz appeared annoyed but not fearful.
The prosecution called a forensic pathologist to provide expert testimony about Gross’ autopsy. The expert stated that Gross sustained 12 sharp force wounds: one to his right ear, one to his right chest, three near his left armpit, two on his lower left hip, two on his upper left back, two on his left torso, and one on his left shoulder.
According to the forensic pathologist, the most severe wound was to Gross’ right chest and led to 1,000 milliliters of blood in his lung.
The expert determined Gross’ cause of death was stab wounds and the manner of death was homicide.
Stevens confirmed with the expert that her analysis was not a legal definition, but the medical conclusion that “a person killed another person.”
The prosecution also called the case’s lead homicide detective from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) to the stand to confirm video evidence. The detective responded a few minutes after the incident occurred, and arrived to see yellow tape and investigators set up to preserve evidence. After searching the scene, she stated that detectives could not immediately locate and identify the murder weapon.
As a result of time constraints, the detective is set to resume her testimony when parties resume on Sept. 15.
