Thank you for reading D.C. Witness.
Help us continue our mission into 2025 by donating to our end of year campaign.
By
D.C. Witness Staff
- April 1, 2019
Court
|
Daily Stories
|
Homicides
|
Suspects
|
Victims
|
A DC Superior Court judge placed a murder defendant in a halfway house on March 29.
Dejuan George is charged with second-degree murder while armed for allegedly stabbing 46-year-old Abdul Watts on the 5600 block of Dix Street, NE on Jan. 8, 2019.
During a preliminary hearing, a Metropolitan Police Department detective told Judge Danya Dayson that a witness saw Watts get stabbed 16 to 17 times. However, the witness told police that a knife was not visible. The witness identified George, 25, as the attacker through a photograph presented by investigators.
Defense attorney Judith Pipe questioned the witness’s account. During cross examination, the detective testified that the witness wanted to share information with police hoping that prosecutors would drop a misdemeanor charge. The witness also said, in a later interview, that Watts was only stabbed three to four times.
Judge Dayson found probable cause for second-degree murder, and said she would place George in a halfway house. George will be allowed to leave the halfway house for work, but will be under GPS monitoring.
Watts was found inside Marvin Gaye Park, which, according to Washington Parks and People — a nonprofit website — is DC’s longest municipal park covering 1.6 miles through Deanwood, Burville, Hillbrook, Lincoln Heights, and Northeast Boundary areas. Court documents state that Watts sustained multiple stab wounds to the chest. Footage from a body-worn camera appears to show Watts identifying George as his assailant. However, the audio from the footage is not clear.
George is scheduled for a felony status conference on April 29.