Prosecution Paints Picture of Murder with Photos of Victim and Crime Scene

By D.C. Witness Staff - January 30, 2020
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During the second day of a murder trial Jan. 29, along with photos of the body, the prosecution presented ballistic diagrams of bullets found on the crime scene. 

Mason Binion, 32, is being charged with first-degree murder while armed after allegedly shooting Michael Francis Taylor, 21, on the 600 block of Farragut NW on June 22, 2008. Apparently, Binion and Taylor were friends. Binion’s co-defendant, Victor Carvajal’s case was dismissed the day before opening statements. Carvajal was also charged with first-degree murder while armed. 

According to the prosecutor, any person would be concerned about how a friend of theirs was killed and in what position they would be found in, the prosecution explained. Alluding to the fact that Taylor was found face down in the grass of an alleyway. 

The photos showed that Binion and his co-conspiritors were careless with the murder of Taylor, according to the prosecution. The prosecutor said that because Taylor was found face down in an alleyway, the crime was done fast and without warning. The prosecutor also pointed out the various bullets and cartridges found on the scene. 

Taylor had seen his alleged killers as his friends, one of the witnesses, who was Taylor’s friend, told the jury. “Taylor thought everything would be okay, he told me that him and Mason were friends.”

A witness of the murder said she heard a “Pop” then an “Ow” then another “Pop”, and shortly after saw what she thought was a blue SUV speed off. The prosecutor said the car the witness referred to was the car Binion was driving that night.

Binion’s defense attorney, Kristin McGough, stated there were multiple cartridges found at the crime scene, including one that did not match the same type of firearm as the others. She said that not all of the bullets found at the crime scene were connected to the case. 

McGough also said that, due to the angle of the witnesses home and the darkness of the alleyway at night, she said she found it hard to believe that the witness would be able to see the car speed off. 

Joshua Ellis Massaquoi, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, is also charged with first-degree murder. He is being held at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, DC’s psychiatric hospital and scheduled for a status hearing on Feb. 5. His case was also separated from the other two defendants.

Massaquoi, 32, is scheduled to testify in Binion’s trial on Jan. 30.

This article was written by Jailynn Caraballo