Murder Case Unlikely to Result in Plea Deal, Prosecution Says

By D.C. Witness Staff - July 2, 2019
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Suspects |

The prosecution said during a July 1 status hearing that a plea deal is currently on the record but is likely the defense will not accept it.

Joshua Artis is charged with first-degree murder while armed for allegedly shooting Ryan Matthew Addison, 28, on the 200 block of Elmira Street, SW on Aug. 11, 2015. Artis, 29, is also charged with possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and unlawful possession of a firearm.

According to the prosecution, the defense wouldn’t accept the deal because the prosecution couldn’t get the district court of Eastern Virginia to agree to a waiver of protection that would have prevented Artis from being given additional charges.

On May 23, DC Superior Court Judge Ronna Lee Beck said there was an enormous amount of evidence the prosecution needed to transfer to the defense. She also said computer problems delayed the transfer.

Judge Beck didn’t allow the prosecution to submit a letter Artis wrote to a witness. She said the letter was too vague and was likely to create unfair prejudice towards the defendant.

Judge Beck will allow two witnesses to testify.  Apparently, one of the witnesses gave police a detailed account of a murder that could’ve been the crime Artis is accused of committing. 

Judge Beck said she didn’t have time to evaluate the permissible scope of expert testimony before the hearing. She said she would give more detailed guidelines closer to trial. 

According to court documents, Addison was discovered by police suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital. 

According to a grand jury indictment, Artis is a member of IGB and was “authorized” by the Imperial Gangsta Bloods’ (IGB) leader to travel from Virginia to Washington, DC to kill Addison, who they believed killed Rodney Davis, a friend of theirs. Davis was fatally shot on the Unit block of Galveston Place, SW in 2015.

A  status hearing is scheduled on July 19.